Coffee Cocktail
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 17.9% ABV ∙
The Coffee Cocktail is a whole-egg flip of tawny port, Cognac, and sugar syrup, shaken and served in a wine glass despite containing no coffee at all. Creamy and rich from the whole egg, with port's raisined sweetness and Cognac's warmth underneath a dusting of nutmeg — a dessert-like nightcap.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Tawny port 60 mlCognac 30 mlSugar syrup 15 mlEgg 1 pc
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with grated nutmeg
Tips
- Shake the whole egg with the port, cognac and syrup over ice first, then strain the liquid back into the empty shaker.
- Dry shake that chilled mix for 15-20 seconds without ice to emulsify fully; the earlier ice pass is what dilutes the port and cognac enough to soften the egg's richness.
- Fine-strain into the wine glass to catch any small egg solids, leaving a smooth, dense head for the grated nutmeg to sit on.
History
The Coffee Cocktail is a brandy-and-port drink built with a whole egg, first recorded in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's Bartender's Guide (also known as the Bar-Tenders Guide, originally published in 1862). Despite its name, the drink contains no coffee or bitters; Thomas himself noted that the name was a misnomer, explaining that the finished drink simply resembles a cup of coffee once the egg, sugar, port, and brandy are shaken together, with grated nutmeg dusted on top to complete the illusion. Jerry Thomas, often called the father of American mixology, worked as a bartender in New York and San Francisco, including at the Occidental Hotel, and his guide is regarded as one of the earliest surviving American cocktail books. The drink belongs to the family of egg-based "flip" style cocktails popular in 19th-century American bars, distinguished from a true flip mainly by its name rather than its construction.
FAQ
What is a Coffee Cocktail?
The Coffee Cocktail is a classic flip-style drink made with tawny port, Cognac, sugar syrup, and a whole egg, shaken and served in a wine glass with grated nutmeg on top. Despite its name, it contains no coffee; the name comes from its appearance, since the shaken port and egg resemble a cup of coffee with cream once poured into the glass.
What is in a Coffee Cocktail?
Tawny port, Cognac, sugar syrup, and a whole egg, double-shaken and strained into a wine glass with grated nutmeg on top. The port supplies most of the volume and the dark, coffee-like color, while the egg gives the drink its thick, flip-style texture.
How do you make a Coffee Cocktail?
Combine tawny port, Cognac, sugar syrup and a whole egg in a shaker and double shake: with ice first to chill, then strained back into the empty shaker and shaken again without ice to emulsify the egg. Strain into a wine glass and finish with a dusting of grated nutmeg.
Is a Coffee Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Shaken, and specifically double-shaken. It goes with ice first to chill and dilute, then back into the empty shaker for a second shake without ice, which emulsifies the whole egg into a silky, frothy texture.
What glass is a Coffee Cocktail served in?
A wine glass, finished with a dusting of grated nutmeg over the top.
What alcohol mixes well with coffee?
In this drink, none — the Coffee Cocktail contains no coffee at all, despite the name; it is a port-and-Cognac flip that only resembles coffee in color. For an actual coffee-based drink, dark spirits like whiskey, rum, or coffee liqueur are the classic pairings, since their sweetness and body stand up to coffee's bitterness.
