Chef Klaus
Apfelschorle
Cloudy apple juice, sharp mineral water, and no sugar bowl: the German Schorle that belongs in school bags, beer gardens, picnic baskets, and the table when supper is quick.
Culinary Explorer
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Pharisäer
Created by
The North Frisian coffee that hides its rum under a white cap of cream, built for a winter table, a christening story, and a strict parson with a good nose.
Beverages
German
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
5 min
Active Time
5 min cook•10 min total
Yield2 servings
Pharisäer belongs to Nordfriesland, up on the Schleswig-Holstein coast, where coffee, rum, and cream make more sense than a little glass with an umbrella in it. This is a winter drink, a feast drink, the cup you set down after a meal or on a cold evening when the wind has done its work. The north hides rum under cream; in the Rheingau they flame brandy in Rüdesheimer Kaffee. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders.
The method is simple, so there is nowhere to hide. Strong hot coffee first, sugar dissolved while it can still melt cleanly, then good dark rum, then a thick cap of lightly whipped cream laid on top. Do not stir. The cream traps the rum's smell, cools the first sip, and makes you drink the coffee through it. Stir it and you've made sweet coffee with cream. Worse drink, less story.
Use real coffee and real cream. Nicht aus dem Glas, not from a bottle of coffee syrup, not from a spray can. Whip the cream only until it mounds softly, because stiff cream sits like putty and thin cream sinks. The whole drink is decided by that cap. Das braucht seine Zeit, and in this case the time is only two minutes, so don't be lazy.
Pharisäer is tied to Nordstrand in North Frisia, where the common origin story places it in the 19th century, often specifically at an 1872 christening feast attended by the strict pastor Georg Bleyer. The guests hid rum in coffee under whipped cream so the alcohol could not be smelled, and when the pastor discovered the trick he is said to have called them Pharisees, giving the drink its name. The legend is local pride as much as record, but the drink's method fits the coast exactly: coffee-house habit, seafaring rum, and cream used as a lid.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
strong freshly brewed coffee
Quantity
300ml
hot
dark rum
Quantity
80ml
preferably robust North Sea tavern strength
sugar
Quantity
2 to 4 teaspoons
heavy cream
Quantity
100ml
cold
sugar for the cream (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| strong freshly brewed coffeehot | 300ml |
| dark rumpreferably robust North Sea tavern strength | 80ml |
| sugar | 2 to 4 teaspoons |
| heavy creamcold | 100ml |
| sugar for the cream (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •2 tall Pharisäer cups or heatproof coffee glasses
- •Small whisk or hand mixer
- •Tablespoon for floating the cream
Instructions
- 1
Warm the cups
Fill two tall Pharisäer cups or heatproof coffee glasses with hot water, then empty them. A warm cup keeps the coffee hot long enough for the sugar to dissolve and the rum to bloom without shocking the glass.
- 2
Whip the cream
Whip the cold cream with the optional teaspoon of sugar only until it forms soft, heavy folds. Stop there. Thin cream sinks into the coffee, and stiff cream sits like a lid you have to chew through; soft cream floats and lets you drink through it.
- 3
Sweeten the coffee
Pour 150ml strong hot coffee into each warmed cup and stir 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar into each one while the coffee is still hot. Sugar dissolves cleanly now; add it later and it sits gritty under the cream, which is not clever.
- 4
Add the rum
Pour 40ml dark rum into each cup and give the coffee one small stir before the cream goes on. This is the last stirring you get. Once the cream is on top, the drink is finished.
- 5
Cap with cream
Slide the whipped cream over the back of a spoon so it spreads across the surface in a thick white cap. The cream holds back the rum aroma and cools the first sip, which is the whole Pharisäer trick. Serve at once and don't stir. If you stir at a North Frisian table, someone will make you buy the next round.
Chef Tips
- •Use strong filter coffee or a mild espresso lengthened with hot water. Weak coffee disappears under the rum and cream, and then the cup has no backbone.
- •Dark rum is right here. A pale, thin rum gets lost; a heavy one stands up to the coffee and explains why the parson noticed eventually.
- •Whip the cream cold and stop early. The cap has to float, not sink, and not sit there like plaster.
- •Do not dust it with cocoa, cinnamon, or grated chocolate. That belongs to other coffee drinks. Pharisäer wears cream and keeps quiet.
Advance Preparation
- •Whip the cream up to 2 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Give it two slow turns with a spoon before using so it mounds again.
- •Brew the coffee fresh. Reheated coffee tastes flat and bitter, and no amount of rum fixes that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 245g)
Calories
325 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
12 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
15 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
1 g
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