Pharisäer Coffee: The North German Rum Coffee Legend (and Recipe)

On the windswept North Sea coast of Germany, there is a coffee you are not supposed to stir. Pharisäer coffee (also written Pharisaer, or Pharisee coffee in English) is strong black coffee with sugar and a shot of dark rum, sealed under a thick cap of whipped cream and sipped straight through it. The cream is the whole point: according to local legend, it was invented in 1872 on the island of Nordstrand to hide the smell of rum from a pastor who preached abstinence.

Here is the story, the drinking rules locals still joke about, and a Pharisäer coffee recipe you can make at home, plus an alcohol-free version for everyone at the table.

In this article

1. The Nordstrand legend
2. How to drink a Pharisäer
3. Pharisäer coffee recipe
4. Variations and alcohol-free version
5. FAQ

The Nordstrand legend

Nordstrand is a former island in North Frisia, in Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein. It was once part of the larger island of Strand, which a catastrophic storm tide broke apart in 1634. Today a causeway, built in 1936, links it to the mainland, and later land reclamation turned it into a peninsula.

The story goes like this. In 1872, a local farmer, usually named as Peter Georg Johannsen, celebrated the christening of one of his children. The new pastor, Georg Bleyer, was strict about alcohol, and the guests were not about to celebrate on coffee alone. So the hosts poured rum into the guests’ coffee and topped every cup with a generous mound of whipped cream, which kept the aroma of the rum from rising. The pastor was meant to get the only plain cup.

Then the cups got mixed up. The pastor tasted rum, saw what had been going on all afternoon, and exclaimed something like “Oh, ihr Pharisäer!”: “You Pharisees!”, a biblical jab at people who appear pious while doing otherwise. The name stuck to the drink.

Legend or history?

Treat the details as a good local legend rather than documented fact. Sources agree on Nordstrand and a pastor named Bleyer, but some date the christening to 1873 instead of 1872, and the farmer’s name and the exact words vary in the retelling. What is certain is that the drink became a fixture of North Frisian cafés, weddings and family gatherings, and a farmhouse on Nordstrand still trades on its claim to be the birthplace.

How to drink a Pharisäer

The drinking ritual is half the fun.

• Do not stir. You drink the hot, sweet, boozy coffee through the cold cream. By local custom, anyone caught stirring pays for the next round.
• No spoon, no straw. Sip from the rim so each mouthful has cream, coffee and rum together.
• Use the right cup. It is traditionally served in a tall, slim cup or mug that keeps the cream layer thick.

The drink is a cousin of Irish coffee, which uses whiskey under its cream, and of the Rüdesheimer coffee of the Rhine, made with German brandy. Unlike Irish coffee, the Pharisäer cream is usually whipped until it holds soft peaks, so it sits on top like a little hat.

Pharisäer coffee recipe

Adults only. This makes 1 drink; multiply as needed. The traditional pour is 4 cl of rum, a shade under 1.5 US fl oz.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Brew strong coffee. Use a little more coffee than usual, for example a ratio around 1:14, or a moka pot or espresso topped with hot water.
2. Warm the cup. Rinse a tall cup with hot water so the drink stays hot under the cream.
3. Add sugar and rum. Put the sugar in the cup, pour in the rum and stir just these two together until the sugar starts to dissolve. This is the only stirring allowed.
4. Pour the coffee. Fill the cup with hot coffee, leaving about 3/4 inch (2 cm) of space at the top.
5. Crown with cream. Spoon the softly whipped cream on top so it floats in a thick layer. Serve immediately, without a spoon.

Tips

• Whip the cream only to soft peaks. Stiff cream sits on top like a lid; soft cream lets the coffee flow through as you sip.
• Use a full-flavored, dark roast coffee: the rum and cream need something bold underneath.
• Some cafés dust the cream with a little cocoa or grated chocolate. Purists skip it.

Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive. Rum coffee is warming but still a full measure of alcohol.

Variations and alcohol-free version

Alcohol-free Pharisäer

Replace the rum with 1 teaspoon of rum extract or, for a richer version, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar syrup with a few drops of vanilla. Everything else stays the same, including the no-stirring rule. A coffee with its own oak and vanilla character makes this version surprisingly convincing.

Lighter or dairy-free

• Use half the cream, or a lightly sweetened whipped coconut cream for a dairy-free cap.
• Cut the sugar to one cube; the rum and cream already add sweetness.

Related North Frisian drinks

North Frisia has other spiked hot drinks hidden under cream, such as Tote Tante, made with hot chocolate and rum; the Pharisäer is simply the most famous coffee version. If you enjoy coffee and spirits at the table, our guide to holiday coffee cocktails has more ideas.

Coffee for your Pharisäer

A Pharisäer needs a coffee that stands up to rum, sugar and cream. Our French Roast is a bold, smoky-sweet dark roast with bittersweet chocolate notes and low acidity, ideal under a cream cap. For the alcohol-free version, try Whiskey Barrel Aged: single origin Guatemala rested 30 days in a bourbon barrel, then roasted, with oak, vanilla and caramel notes and no alcohol. Italian Roast, our darkest, makes an especially intense version with a moka pot. Find more options among our blends.

Pharisäer coffee FAQ

What is in a Pharisäer coffee?

Strong hot coffee, sugar, dark rum (traditionally 4 cl) and a thick topping of whipped cream.

Why is it called Pharisäer?

Legend says a strict pastor on Nordstrand discovered the guests had hidden rum under whipped cream and called them Pharisees, meaning hypocrites.

Should you stir a Pharisäer?

No. You drink it through the cream. By custom, whoever stirs buys the next round.

What is the difference between a Pharisäer and an Irish coffee?

A Pharisäer uses rum and usually more whipped cream; Irish coffee uses Irish whiskey and lightly whipped cream poured over a spoon.

Can I make a Pharisäer without alcohol?

Yes. Use rum extract or brown sugar syrup with vanilla in place of the rum.

Sources

1. Nordstrand, Germany, Wikipedia
2. Pharisee: a Coffee with Spirit Content, h2g2
3. Pharisäer: Kaffee, Rum, Sahne, Coffeeness

Facts checked in October 2026.

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