I seem to have acquired a collection of lighthouse puzzles. I’m not sure if I have quite enough lights to make a chandelier yet, but this toast can serve as a start. The drink’s creator, New York bartender William Elliot, adapted it from the classic Coffee Cocktail, a drink as old as they come. It can be found in the pages of the father of the American cocktail, “Professor” Jerry Thomas’s Bar-Tenders’ Guide, from the 1887 edition, where instructions are given to combine 1 large wine-glass of port and 1 pony of brandy with some sugar, an egg and 2 or 3 lumps of ice. The guide points out the obvious, that the name is a misnomer as there is no coffee, nor bitters (required for a true “cocktail”) to be found in this drink, which when properly prepared will look just like a cup of coffee with cream.

This modern take on the classic keeps the cognac and port, but ups the ante with the addition of a krauterlikor … pardon me? Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably heard of at least one krauterlikor, a type of traditional German herbal spiced liqueur also known as a halbbitter (half-bitter). Originally distilled as medicinal tonics, like most bitter liqueurs, krauterlikors might be considered the German equivalent to amaros and include notable brands such as Jägermeister, Underberg, Becherovka, Unicum, Riga Black Balsam, Killepitsch, Kuemmerling, and Aromatique. I find any excuse to add Becherovka to drinks this time of year, so of course used that in mine. The piece de resistance of this cocktail, though, is the final flourish – a few dollops of Angostura whipped cream on top. How dazzling!

Chandelier Flip by William Elliott

1 ¼ oz tawny port

¾ oz cognac

¼ oz herbal liqueur (or krauterlikor)

¼ oz cinnamon syrup

1 whole egg

½ tsp saline solution (2:1 water:sea salt)

Angostura whipped cream

Dry shake ingredients (without ice) to combine and froth, then shake with ice to chill and strain into a chalice and top with the whipped cream, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Angostura whipped cream: whip 2 oz heavy cream with ¼ oz Angostura bitters and ½ oz demerara syrup