Coffee Cocktail

This is a fairly old cocktail, which I believe first appears in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's Bartender's Guide. In it, he says: "The name of this drink is a misnomer, as coffee and bitters are not to be found among its ingredients, but it looks like coffeee when it has been properly concocted, and hence probably its name." It is important to note his point about "bitters" in the above. What he is pointing out, is that this drink is being classified as a "cocktail", and yet it doesn't include the defining ingredient for a cocktail, bitters.

Coffee Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces port
1 1/2 ounces brandy
1 teaspoon simple syrup
1 whole egg

Garnish: Grated nutmeg

Shake hard with ice. Strain into a wine glass.

Optionally, you can add a dash of bitters to this drink to not only make it truely a cocktail, but also to make what I feel is a better tasting drink. If the thought of using raw egg in your cocktails gives you some concern, you can instead use one of the liquid egg substitutes, which are essentially pasteurized egg whites.