Ingredients
Drink
- 60 mlstrong black coffee or double espresso
- 20 mlrum or kirsch
- 2 tspsugar
Cream
- 100 mldouble cream, whipped firm
To serve
- a tall handled glass
- a glass of cold water
Directions
- Warm the glass with hot water and pour it away, because a small quantity of coffee loses its heat to cold glass almost immediately.
- Put the sugar into the glass and pour the hot coffee over it, stirring until it has completely dissolved.
- Sweeten it now. Once the cream is on there is no stirring it, and an unsweetened Fiaker under sweet cream is badly out of balance.
- Add the rum or kirsch and stir once more.
- Whip the cream to firm peaks and spoon it over the surface in a thick dome, sealing the coffee underneath it.
- Serve with a glass of cold water alongside, as any Viennese café would.
- Drink it straight through the cream without stirring, which is how it is meant to be taken.
- It is named after the city’s horse-cab drivers, who drank it against the cold, and the handled glass exists so that it can be held in one hand.
Technique
- It is an Einspänner with spirit in it, and the two are ordered from the same café menus.
- Kirsch makes a noticeably drier drink than rum and is the older choice.
- The cream should sit as a lid rather than swirl in. Whip it firmer than you would for a dessert.
Substitutions
- Strong moka pot coffee in place of espresso.
- Brandy or slivovitz, both of which are used.
Variations
- With a maraschino cherry on the cream, which some cafés add.
- Made with double the rum, which is how a cab driver would have wanted it.
- Einspänner, the same drink without any spirit at all.
History
A Viennese coffeehouse order named after the city’s horse-cab drivers, who drank it against the cold.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fiaker?
Fiaker is a cocktail from Austria: black coffee with rum or kirsch, sugar and whipped cream. A Viennese coffeehouse order named after the city’s horse-cab drivers, who drank it against the cold.
How long does Fiaker take to make?
Fiaker takes 5 min of preparation and 2 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Fiaker?
Yes, within limits. Strong moka pot coffee in place of espresso. Brandy or slivovitz, both of which are used.
What is the most important thing to get right in Fiaker?
The cream should sit as a lid rather than swirl in. Whip it firmer than you would for a dessert.
