Menu
Author:
Franco Salzillo
The red-eye coffee is somewhat of an oddity. Still, everyone seems to have their opinions about the strong drink, and everyone makes theirs differently. I like to think of red-eye coffee like an Americano that uses coffee instead of water; I don’t know if that’s easy to understand. Others describe it as a cup of drip coffee with a shot of espresso, and that’s accurate as well.
What you get is more than a strong cup of coffee. Drip coffee is fruity and mild, and the espresso is roasted and more robust. The combination is somewhere in between!
To make a good cup of red-eye coffee, you need around one cup of regular coffee, whether it’s drip, filter or pod coffee. Just make sure it’s tall and not too strong — the milder and fruitier, the better. You’ll also need a freshly brewed espresso, and you want this one strong and intensely aromatic.
I enjoy using Arabica beans for both parts of the recipe, but I might use a medium roast for the drip coffee and a heavier roast for the espresso. There’s no right or wrong answer here.
You’ll also need your favorite sweetener and milk or cream to taste. Just prepare this one like you usually would with a tall cup of coffee. There’s nothing regular about this one, though.
To make the perfect red-eye coffee, the quality of the coffee matters. You need a freshly brewed drip or filter cup of coffee and a fresh espresso as well. Brew the drip coffee first, then just pour the espresso with its lovely foam and all to add intensity to the drink.
You can also brew the drip coffee and pour it over the espresso; it doesn’t make much of a difference. Again, what makes the difference is that the two types of coffee should be delicious on their own, creating something tastier than the sum of its parts.
Serve a cup of red-eye coffee with chocolate desserts. The coffee is bold enough to tackle even the fudgiest of treats. From brownies to devil’s food cake, chocolate is lovely with this big and bold coffee.
Brew a cup of coffee, either drip, French press, filter or percolator. Set aside.
Brew an espresso with an espresso machine, coffee pod machine or stove-top mocha pot.
Pour the espresso into your serving glass and top it with the coffee.
Sweeten to taste and optionally add milk or cream.
