spanish coffee

Spanish coffee is a cocktail that originated in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s at Huber's Cafe. It remains popular in the Pacific Northwest, but hasn't spread far beyond that, which is a shame, because it's both delicious and fun to make. My version is adapted from Jeffrey Morgenthaler's excellent Bar Book. You need to make sure you have a tempered glass with a stem to hold onto (a standard wine glass should be fine, but no rocks glasses unless you also have fireproof bionic hands). You need a 151-proof rum (also called overproof rum) which you set on fire and use to caramelize the sugar around the rim of the glass. Morgenthaler moistens the rim of the glass with a lime wedge, but I typically just use water because I don't think the lime flavor comes through and I find it more convenient. You can use any coffee liqueur you like. Morgenthaler uses Kahlua, which is probably the sweetest of the widely available coffee liqueurs, but I think the drink also works well with Tia Maria and coffee liqueurs from smaller producers. 

Spanish Coffee

sugar,

water,

oz 151-proof rum

oz triple sec

oz coffee liqueur,

oz coffee,

cream,

nutmeg,

Put some sugar in a shallow bowl. Put...

Put some sugar in a shallow bowl. Put some water in another shallow bowl. Dip the rim of the glass in the water and then into the sugar to make a band of sugar around the rim (both on the inside and outside). Add the rum and triple sec to the glass, and light with a match or lighter.

Hold the glass by the stem at an...

Hold the glass by the stem at an angle and let the flame heat the sugar around the rim and twirl the glass until the sugar begins to bubble and caramelize. I like it dark and caramelly. It usually takes about a minute.

Add the coffee liqueur and the coffee. Top...

Add the coffee liqueur and the coffee. Top with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Serve immediately.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/vgoovua2u9fbegbghqr2.mp4

How to Make Spanish Coffee

Try this homemade Spanish coffee recipe! The showy after dinner drink features Kahlua, rum, orange liqueur, and a caramelized sugar rim.

ounces* coffee

Kahlua

Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur)

Lemon wedge

For the garnish: grated chocolate or fresh grated or ground nutmeg

Make the coffee. Allow it to cool slightly while preparing the drink.

Make the homemade whipped cream, whipping it to soft peaks.

Use a lemon wedge to wet a 1/2-inch of the rim of the glass and dip the outside in sugar to make a 1/2-inch band. 

Use a kitchen torch** to caramelize the outside of the glass until the sugar turns brown. 

Add the coffee, Kahlua, triple sec and rum and stir once. 

Gently float the whipped cream on top using the back of a spoon. Garnish with grated chocolate or nutmeg.

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Spanish Coffee

Spanish Coffee

Top 2 spanish coffee recipes from across the web

The most viewed spanish coffee recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Spanish Coffee

Spanish Coffee

The most viewed spanish coffee recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine