Easy Spanish Coffee

Spanish coffee is a staple in Portland, Oregon, thanks to the city’s oldest restaurant, Huber’s Cafe. Since the 1970s, servers in black vests have turned this otherwise simple drink into sheer spectacle—and a fabulous one at that. With tableside flair, they rim glasses with sugar, then pour in arm’s-length streams of triple sec and overproof rum before lighting them on fire with the flick of a match. They twirl the glass so the blue flame carmelizes the sugar on the rim (and burns off a little alcohol), then they add Kahlua, coffee and a float of whipped cream to extinguish the flame. With all the flourish and flash, a Huber’s Spanish coffee cocktail is the perfect antidote to the Pacific Northwest’s signature drizzly days.

Huber’s is where I first tried Spanish coffee, and since I worked behind the bar at restaurants around Portland, I had to learn to make it, too: safely setting rum aflame to create the caramelized sugar rim, filling the glass with liqueurs and coffee, and layering a perfect cloud of hand-shaken whipped cream on top.

While making Spanish coffee requires some skill, anyone can master it with the right tools. You’ll need tempered, heat-safe glasses (like the ones bars use for Irish coffee) and a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar rim if you’re not confident setting a cocktail on fire. If you go that route, you don’t need overproof rum.

Any way you make it, a Spanish coffee is one of the best rum drinks to add to your repertoire. It’s fun to make for a crowd and pretty dreamy to drink.

What is a Spanish coffee?

The traditional Spanish coffee recipe features an overproof or aged rum, coffee liqueur, triple sec and coffee. The drink is an offshoot of the carajillo, a two-ingredient drink made with coffee and either brandy, whiskey, rum, anisette or even mezcal in Latin American countries.

While Huber’s is often credited with the drink’s popularity, it wasn’t the first American establishment to serve a Spanish coffee cocktail. James Louie, one of the restaurant’s co-owners, added it to the menu in the 1970s after having tried in Milwaukee, Oregon, where it arrived by way of Mexico. When he brought it to Huber’s, he added triple sec, nutmeg and the signature fiery flair.

Spanish Coffee​ Ingredients

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

• Sugar and an orange slice: Wipe an orange slice around the rim of a glass so the sugar sticks. Orange complements the triple sec in the drink, but lemon is also common. Superfine sugar will give you the best results.
• Rum: Any great rum will do if you’re not setting the cocktail on fire. If you’re using the flame to caramelize the rim and burn off some of the alcohol, you’ll want overproof rum, which can be anywhere between 40% to 80% alcohol by volume (ABV). Use dark rum for an even more caramelized flavor.
• Triple sec: This liqueur adds a hint of citrus to the Spanish coffee cocktail. You can also use pricier options like Grand Marnier or Cointreau.
• Coffee liqueur: Kahlua adds extra coffee flavor and depth to the drink. Other brands like Mr. Black will work, as will your very own homemade coffee liqueur.
• Fresh hot coffee: Use whichever type of brewed coffee you prefer—drip, pour-over, French press—as long as it’s fresh.
• Whipped cream: For the creamy topping, you need only heavy whipping cream and a bit of confectioners’ sugar; superfine sugar works here, too.
• Ground nutmeg or grated chocolate: These optional garnishes add a little extra flair to an already showstopping drink.

Directions

Step 1: Rim the glass

Moisten the rim of a large glass mug with an orange slice. Sprinkle superfine sugar on a plate, then dip the rim in the sugar. Using a kitchen torch, hold the flame about 2 inches away from rim and rotate the glass slowly until the sugar is evenly caramelized.

Editor’s Tip: Some obvious rules for using a kitchen torch inside (or outside) include reading the instruction manual first, clearing your space of any debris (like paper), and remembering that you’re playing with actual fire. Keep it away from your face and fingers. You also don’t need to caramelize the sugar; a simple sugar rim is great too.

Step 2: Add the spirits and coffee

Add the rum, triple sec, coffee liqueur and coffee to the prepared glass.

Step 3: Top with whipped cream

In a small bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add the superfine sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Using the back of a spoon, float whipped cream on top of the cocktail. Garnish the Spanish coffee with grated nutmeg or chocolate as desired.

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Alternative method

Create the sugar rim from Step 1. Add the triple sec and overproof rum. Using a long match, carefully light the rum and triple sec on fire, then slowly and carefully turn the glass so the flame caramelizes the sugar. Add the coffee liqueur and coffee. Top the Spanish coffee with lightly whipped cream and the garnishes, if desired.

Editor’s Tip: The same rules for using a kitchen torch apply here, mainly that you’re working with fire and a flammable liquid. Do so with caution.

Spanish Coffee​ Tips

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

What’s the best type of glass to use for a Spanish coffee?

Even if you’re only using a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, you should still use tempered glass to make a Spanish coffee. A red wine glass with a stem or handle or an Irish coffee mug are great options if you’re making it the traditional way; having something to hold while you light the liquids on fire is mandatory.

What else can you serve with Spanish coffee?

Spanish coffee can be served as an after-dinner drink with decadent dark chocolate desserts or flan. If you want to recreate the true Huber’s experience, serve Spanish coffee after a roast turkey dinner or triple-decker sandwich.