Bar Bible / Cocktails / Café Royal

Café Royal in a copper mug, drawn with its ingredient layers

Café Royal

The Café Royal is a built brandy cocktail from France. It is made with hot coffee and cognac, served in a copper mug.

Strength: about 4.7% ABV in the glass, roughly 6 g of alcohol per drink (an estimate; brands and dilution vary).

The French after-dinner coffee with flamed cognac, a favourite of Napoleon according to legend.

Ingredients

Hot coffee150 ml (5 oz)
Sugar cube1 cube
Cognac20 ml (¾ oz)

Measures for one serve. Open the drink in Bar Bible to scale it to a batch or switch to ounces.

Method

  1. Pour hot black coffee into a cup.
  2. Rest a spoon across the cup with the sugar cube on it and pour the cognac over the sugar.
  3. Light it, let the sugar caramelise for a moment, then stir it into the coffee. Never pour from the bottle near the flame.
Glass
Copper mug
Ice
None
Garnish
None
Open Café Royal in My Bar Bible

Part of

Mediterranean cocktailsCoffee cocktails

Drinks you might pour next