King Alfonso
Coffee and cream, layered.
A very simple after-dinner drink: coffee liqueur over ice with a layer of cream floated on top. On the palate it recalls a sweet, spirited caffè latte.
- After dinner
- Layered
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Method
- Layered
- Strength
- Light
- Time
- 2 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- Cubes
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Coffee liqueur
50 ml
-
Cream
top up
Proportions
How to make
- Fill an old fashioned glass with ice.
- Pour the coffee liqueur.
- Float the cream on top up to the rim.
- Serve without stirring.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The origins of the King Alfonso are undocumented and no source names its inventor. The name is commonly linked to Alfonso XIII of Spain, a king known as a bar patron who also lent his name to other drinks, such as the Champagne-based Alfonso and Frank Meier's Alfonso XIII, published in 1936; its connection with this drink remains a hypothesis, though. American recipe collections also list it as King Alphonse, a small layered drink of dark crème de cacao with floated cream; more recent versions replace the crème de cacao with coffee liqueur. In Spanish-speaking sources it is served in an old fashioned glass with ice, coffee liqueur and whipped cream.
Sources (3)
- Tragos y Copas — King Alfonso (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Seattle Magazine — Find your Perfect Throwback Cocktail (King Alphonse, Alfonso) (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Punch — Alfonso XIII (opens in a new tab) history
Taste profile
- Sweet
- 4 out of 5
- Creamy
- 4 out of 5
