Rainbow pousse-café

A rainbow drink to go along with rainbow food for Pride Month:

From OED3 (Dec. 2006) under pousse-café:

< French pousse-café strong alcoholic drink taken after coffee (1833) < pousser push v. + café coffee (see café n.). Compare earlier chasse-café at chasse n.

A glass of various liqueurs, cordials, etc., poured in successive layers, taken after coffee. [first cite 1862]

And from Wikipedia:

A layered (or “stacked”) drink, sometimes called a pousse-café, is a kind of cocktail in which the slightly different densities of various liqueurs are used to create an array of colored layers, typically three to seven. The specific gravity of the liquid ingredients increases from top to bottom. Liqueurs with the most dissolved sugar and the least alcohol are densest and are put at the bottom. These include fruit juices and cream liqueurs. Those with the least water and the most alcohol, such as rum with 75% alcohol by volume, are floated on top.

These drinks are made primarily for visual enjoyment rather than taste. They are sipped, sometimes through a silver straw, one liqueur at a time. The drink must be made and handled carefully to avoid mixing; however, some layered drinks, such as shooters, are generally drunk quickly.

The layers must be poured very gently to avoid mixing. They can be poured over the back of a spoon or down a glass rod.

A recipe for a rainbow pousse-café:

1/2 oz dark Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Creme de Violette
1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Cognac

Start by pouring the Creme de Cacao into a pousse-cafe glass. Follow by pouring each of the other ingredients, in the order given above, one at a time in layers. Do not add ice.

Sip for gay pride! The taste is on the odd side, but the visual effect is entertaining.

One Response to “Rainbow pousse-café”

  1. Doug Wyman Says:

    Triggered a fond memory of my youth.

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