Rudesheimer Kaffee
Rüdesheimer KaffeeREW-des-hy-mer KAF-fay
German brandy warmed and flamed with sugar until it caramelises, hot coffee poured over, then a thick cap of vanilla whipped cream and grated chocolate. It is a showpiece from the Rhine wine country, and it tastes like a coffee dessert with a burnt-sugar edge.
At a glance
- Coffee : brandy
- 4:1
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 8 min
- Makes
- 1 cup
- Serve
- Hot, with cream
- Kit
- Heatproof cup
Ingredients
Note: The original is served in a specific thick porcelain cup with a wide mouth. Any thick, heatproof cup works, but not a thin glass, which can crack.
Method
-
Whip the cream first
Whip the cream with the vanilla sugar to soft peaks and keep it in the fridge. Once the brandy is lit, everything else happens quickly.
Whip 2 minutes -
Warm the cup and the brandy
Warm a thick porcelain cup with hot water and dry it. Put the sugar cubes in the cup and pour the brandy over them.
Warm brandy lights easily. Cold brandy often will not light at all.
-
Light it and stir
Light the brandy with a long match or lighter, keeping your face and hair well back. Stir gently with a long spoon so the sugar dissolves and caramelises a little. Let it burn for about a minute.
Flame about 1 minute -
Put out the flame with coffee
Pour the hot coffee into the cup, which puts out the flame. Stir once.
-
Cream and chocolate
Pipe or spoon the vanilla cream on top in a tall swirl and scatter the chocolate over it. Serve straight away.
Why this works
Flaming the brandy does three things. It burns off part of the alcohol, so the drink is warming rather than sharp. It heats the sugar in the alcohol, and some of it caramelises around the edges of the cup, adding a bitter burnt-sugar note. And the heat drives out some of the brandy's own aromatics into the air, which is why the room smells wonderful. Pouring in the hot coffee puts the flame out, so the timing is self-limiting.
German brandy suits it particularly well. Weinbrand is distilled from wine and aged in oak, with dried fruit, vanilla and caramel notes that sit between a cognac and something softer. Those sweet barrel notes pair with the vanilla in the cream, which is why the original recipe uses vanilla sugar rather than plain sugar in the whipped topping.
The cream is soft rather than stiff so that it floats and slowly melts into the coffee. The chocolate is grated rather than chopped so that it melts slightly on the warm cream.
The drink was created in 1957 by the German television cook Hans Karl Adam, working with Asbach, the brandy house based in Rüdesheim am Rhein. It was a promotion that became a tradition, and the town's taverns still serve it in its own wide-mouthed cups, with the flaming done at the table.
Variations
- Without flaming: warm the brandy and sugar together and stir until dissolved. Simpler and safer, less caramel.
- With cognac: any good brandy works; the vanilla cream is what keeps it Rüdesheim.
- With milk chocolate shavings: sweeter, closer to a dessert.
- Iced version: cold coffee and brandy over ice under cold cream, for summer.
This recipe sets spirit on fire in a cup. Use a thick, heatproof porcelain cup, never thin glass. Keep your face, hair and sleeves back, light it with a long match or lighter, keep the bottle well away and capped, and never pour more brandy onto a flame. Keep a lid or plate nearby to smother it if needed. Not for children, drivers, or anyone avoiding alcohol.
Made it?
Ratings are the most useful thing you can leave. They tell me which recipes need another pass.
No ratings yet. Be the first.
Questions
What is Rüdesheimer Kaffee?
A coffee from Rüdesheim am Rhein: German brandy flamed with sugar in a cup, with hot coffee poured over and topped with vanilla whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Who invented Rüdesheimer Kaffee?
The television cook Hans Karl Adam created it in 1957, working with the Asbach brandy house in Rüdesheim.
Do you have to flame the brandy?
No. Warming the brandy and sugar together and stirring until dissolved gives a similar drink, with less caramel and more alcohol.
What brandy is used in Rüdesheimer Kaffee?
Traditionally Asbach, a German Weinbrand. Any German brandy, or a cognac, works.