Café Brûlot
from https://talesofthecocktail.org/
In this classic after-dinner drink popularized in New Orleans, sweetened brandy is spiced with cinnamon, cloves and citrus peels, then set ablaze so that the aromatics can caramelize and some of the alcohol can burn off. The flame is dampened with strong coffee, then the whole thing topped with whipped cream.
It ends up tasting like very thick, sweet coffee with the deep citrus and clove flavors mellowing the sweetness. Many diners say they prefer the second cup to the first, since the concoction has had time to steep a little more. Though the drink is ordered year-round, café brûlot’s hot temperature and rich, bold flavor make it a particularly enjoyable way to end dinner on a cooler winter night. It is especially popular as a finale to a big holiday meal, such as the New Orleans Reveillon feast.
Café Brûlot
from https://talesofthecocktail.org/
It’s no surprise that at Arnaud’s in New Orleans, the signature after dinner drink is as much an exhibition as it is an exquisite cocktail. Café Brûlot means “burnt brandy,” and the folks at Arnaud’s don’t disappoint on the open flame front — they set brandy and Curaçao on fire and ladle the flaming liquid ceremoniously over a spiraling orange peel. Finish your meal with a cocktail and a show. Charles Abbyad, long-time maître d’ at Arnaud’s, shows us how.
1 two-inch stick of cinnamon
6 whole cloves
3 tablespoons slivered or grated orange peel
1/4 cup slivered or grated lemon peel
3 sugar cubes (or roughly a tablespoon)
1/2 cup brandy
2 tablespoons Curaçao, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
3 cups hot, strong black coffee
1 long fireplace match
Peel a lemon, cut the peel into slivers and add the peel to the bowl.
Peel an orange halfway, in a continuous curl that remains attached to the orange. Stud the orange peel with cloves in a cross pattern, pressing cloves about an inch apart.
In a copper Brûlot bowl or chafing dish, combine the cinnamon, cloves and citrus peels [he has the orange in the bowl also with a fork in it, probably so he can lift it to pour the flaming brandy down the peel, as below]. Place the bowl over medium heat. Using the back of a large ladle, crush the spices and peels together.
Remove the bowl from the burner. Add the brandy and Curaçao to the ladle. Light the liquids in the ladle with a long match.
Using a ladle, pour the flaming brandy down the orange spiral and into the bowl. [more for theater, than for the recipe, I think, although it would add some burnt flavor to the peel]
As the flames are beginning to fade, slowly add the three cups of hot black coffee.
Add sugar to the mixture. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar.
Add a piece of lemon peel to each Brûlot cup before pouring the cocktail.
Using a straining ladle, pour Café Brûlot into Brûlot or demitasse cups, excluding spices and citrus peels. Serve immediately.
Café Brûlot
from https://www.food.com/
"Brulot means "burnt brandy" in French. [Brûlot" can also mean "scorched" or "burnt" in French, referring to something that has been subjected to high heat.] Special fireproof brulot bowls were important tableware in fine New Orleans homes during the 1800s. For a dramatic effect, the lights were dimmed before the mixture was flamed and the coffee added to it. I have not made this (as yet) so the time is a guess."
3 inches cinnamon sticks, broken
6 whole cloves
4 sugar cubes (or more to taste) [4 teaspoons]
1 strip orange peel, 3x1/4-inch membrane removed
1 strip lemon peel, 3x1/4-inch membrane removed
1⁄2 cup brandy
[2 tablespoons Curaçao, Grand Marnier or Cointreau]
2 cups hot strong coffee
In the blazer pan of a chafing dish combine cinnamon, cloves, sugar cubes, orange peel, and lemon peel. [The flame gets lit later in the recipe]
In a small saucepan heat brandy until it almost simmers.
Remove from heat and ignite.
Pour over mixture in blazer pan.
Place blazer pan over chafing dish burner. Spoon brandy over sugar until cubes melt. Stir in coffee.
Makes 4 (4-ounce) servings.
