BristolUK

Think back to when the height of sophistication was the choice of a prawn salad over soup as a starter and you might remember dining at a Berni Inn restaurant.

They used to serve Special Coffee - Brandy or Vodka or Whisky in with hot coffee and cream floating on the top. Plus, of course, the obligatory chocolate mint (Elizabeth Shaw?)

We used to do it at home pouring the cream over the back of a spoon - the spoon having sat in the glass to prevent it cracking when the hot coffee was added.

Dunno why but I had a sudden memory of it and I went googling - only to find nothing really matching it. It's all liqueurs and cocktails rather than a Russian Coffee, which was my choice.

Does anyone still do this?

bats

Oh yes, one can find such delights in Ontario

BristolUK

On my way......

bats

I'll kick the cats out of the spare room.

Stormer999

Think it was just a simple steal from traditional Irish coffee...

Piff Poff

Beefeater did them too, I've made thousands. A Floater was without alcohol, we used to hate the customers who wanted sugar free. Hot hot coffee, (muscovado) sugar stirred well and cold cream poured into the bowl of the spoon, resting on the surface of the coffee were the tips. A Beefeater was kahlua (my fave) a calypso, tia maria, Irish, irish whiskey, damn can't remember what the brandy one was, it'll probably come to me at 3am

we could also spot the customers that would have the prawn cocktail, followed by the well done 8oz rump steak and free ice cream a mile away

Oink

Piff Poff

They're cute

Shard

I recently started using muscovado sugar in my tea and coffee. Not sure why, some kind of half-baked idea that it might be healthier or tastier than white sugar. If anything it seems to be less sweet. Any thoughts?

mikelincs

I always had the Irish Ciffee, thinj that was the original. then tyhey started doing all sorts of others.

MillieF

They are...I'm surprised they don't have their own thread....what next...sheep? Did I miss the sheep?

Very partial to an Irish Coffee...haven't had one in years...what a nice idea..thanks for the memory

MillieF

They are...I'm surprised they don't have their own thread....what next...sheep? Did I miss the sheep?

Very partial to an Irish Coffee...haven't had one in years...what a nice idea..thanks for the memory

HGerchikov

This takes me back to the mid 90s when I first met my husband. We met in England, while he was on a 5 month secondment from his Moscow University. We went out to dinner at one place that had a whole menu of Special coffees. OH was very impressed. Roll on a few months, he is back in Russia, it is 1994 so very early days after the end of the communist regime and I go to visit him in his home town in the Ural Mountains. We go out for dinner, remembering the UK coffee menu, OH asks the waiter what options they have for coffee. The response? "You can have it with milk, or without."

bats

Aren't you "supposed" to use brown sugar in coffee? It's usually Demerara I think. They are less refined than white sugars no idea if that makes them healthier. Does the Muscovado change the taste of the coffee much?

Shard

I think it does change the taste. I haven't been very scientific about it yet. I used to be strictly sweetner so any form of sugar is an improvement in taste. I need to do a Demerara / Muscovado comparison.