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.
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Rüdesheimer Kaffee
Created by
The Rheingau table drink that turns coffee into a small ceremony: brandy, sugar, flame, strong coffee, and cold cream doing their jobs in the right order.
Beverages
German
Special Occasion
Dinner Party
Celebration
10 min
Active Time
5 min cook•15 min total
Yield4 servings
Rüdesheimer Kaffee belongs to the Rheingau, to dinner parties, winter evenings, and the table after the plates have been cleared but nobody is ready to leave. It isn't everyday filter coffee with a splash from the bottle. The brandy and sugar are flamed first, so the sugar melts and the alcohol takes on a rounded, caramel edge before the coffee goes in.
German drinks split by region as clearly as the food does. Nordfriesland hides rum under a cap of cream in the Pharisäer; Ostfriesland lets cream bloom unstirred through strong tea over a Kluntje, a lump of rock sugar; the Rheingau sets Asbach brandy alight in the cup and pours coffee over it. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. Das ist kein Bierzelt.
The technique is simple and it decides the drink: measure the brandy into the cup, warm it with the sugar, then light it and stir until the sugar dissolves. Don't pour brandy from the bottle near a flame. Measure it first, put the bottle away, then light the cup. The flame is there to melt and round the sugar, not to show off or burn the drink dry.
Whipped cream goes on cold and soft, not stiff like cake cream, because you drink the hot coffee through it and it should sit as a cap, not sink like a lump. Chocolate shavings finish it. Nicht aus dem Glas, and not from a packet mix. Coffee, brandy, sugar, cream. Schön ist, was schmeckt.
Rüdesheimer Kaffee was created in 1957 in Rüdesheim am Rhein by the television cook Hans Karl Adam, using Asbach Uralt, the local German Weinbrand made in the town since Hugo Asbach founded his firm there in 1892. The drink was built around a special tall Rüdesheimer cup, made so the brandy and sugar could be flamed at the table before coffee and cream were added. Its regional identity is unusually exact: this is not a general German coffee drink but a Rheingau one, tied to the wine-and-brandy town on the Rhine.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Asbach Uralt or other German Weinbrand
Quantity
160ml
40ml per serving
white sugar cubes or white sugar
Quantity
12 cubes or 12 teaspoons
3 per serving
strong coffee
Quantity
600ml
freshly brewed and hot
heavy cream
Quantity
200ml
cold
vanilla sugar
Quantity
2 teaspoons
dark chocolate
Quantity
20g
shaved
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Asbach Uralt or other German Weinbrand40ml per serving | 160ml |
| white sugar cubes or white sugar3 per serving | 12 cubes or 12 teaspoons |
| strong coffeefreshly brewed and hot | 600ml |
| heavy creamcold | 200ml |
| vanilla sugar | 2 teaspoons |
| dark chocolateshaved | 20g |
Equipment Needed
- •4 heatproof Rüdesheimer Kaffee cups or tall heatproof glass mugs
- •Long matches or a kitchen lighter
- •Long-handled spoon
- •Hand whisk or electric whisk
- •Coffee maker for strong fresh coffee
Instructions
- 1
Whip the cream
Whip the cold cream with the vanilla sugar until it holds soft folds, not stiff peaks. A soft cream cap floats and lets you drink the coffee through it; stiff cream sits heavy and breaks into clumps.
Keep the cream cold until the last moment. Cold cream holds its shape better against the hot coffee and gives the drink its clean white cap. - 2
Set the cups
Put three sugar cubes or three teaspoons of sugar into each heatproof Rüdesheimer Kaffee cup, then add 40ml Weinbrand to each cup. Measure the brandy first and move the bottle away before any flame appears; the drink needs a flame in the cup, not on the table.
- 3
Flame the brandy
Light the brandy with a long match or kitchen lighter and stir carefully with a long spoon until the sugar dissolves, about one minute. The flame warms the brandy and melts the sugar into it, so the base turns rounded and faintly caramel instead of tasting like raw spirit and loose grains.
- 4
Pour the coffee
When the sugar has dissolved, pour in the strong hot coffee, stopping below the rim so there is room for the cream. Pour steadily down the side of the cup if the flame is still small; the coffee puts it out and carries the sweet brandy through the drink.
- 5
Cap and finish
Spoon the softly whipped cream over the top without stirring, then finish with dark chocolate shavings. Serve at once. The cream is not garnish for looking at; it cools the first sip and carries the brandy aroma up to your nose.
Chef Tips
- •Use Asbach if you can get it. Rüdesheim built the drink around that Weinbrand, and a neutral brandy makes a flatter cup.
- •Use strong coffee, not weak coffee made bitter to compensate. The brandy and cream soften the drink, so the coffee has to stand up straight from the start.
- •Never pour alcohol from the bottle near a flame. Measure the 40ml into each cup, close the bottle, move it away, then light. That is kitchen sense, not fussing.
- •Do not sweeten the whipped cream heavily. The sugar is already in the brandy base, and too much sugar in the cream makes the drink dull.
Advance Preparation
- •Whip the cream up to 2 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator; whisk it briefly before serving if it loosens.
- •Shave the chocolate ahead and keep it cool and dry.
- •Brew the coffee just before flaming the brandy. Old coffee turns flat, and this drink has nowhere to hide it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 245g)
Calories
345 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
12 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
20 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
19 g
Protein
1 g
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