Café Brulôt is a special way of preparing coffee as an after-dinner treat in many upscale restaurants. The ceremonial rite of preparing café brulôt was developed from the custom of French bon vivants who liked to poise a spoon holding a sugar lump drenched in cognac over a demitasse of dripped coffee. This was set alight and kept burning until just before the sugar began to caramelize, then it was lowered into the cup. In 1890, Jules Alciatore of Antoine’s conceived the idea of placing the brandy in a dish with lemon peel, lumps of sugar, and spices then adding fireworks. Sometimes, the café brulôt was served in a hollowed out orange skin, the rind adding piquancy to the spicy drink. Later, the drink later became a popular way to disguise alcohol during Prohibition.
"Usually you have café brulôt after a big meal where you’ve already had drinks, several bottles of wine and possibly even champagne. By the time you’ve drunk the brulot, you’re wide awake and dead drunk at the same time.” - Jon Newlin, local gastronome and bon vivant