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Glite Dictionary
cafe royale

cafe royale

8.1
A drink of black coffee mixed with Cognac and served with lemon peel and sugar
  • noun
translation icon : café royale
  • The bartender prepared a classic cafe royale, expertly flaming the Cognac before adding it to the coffee.

Examples

  • He ended his meal with a cafe royale to savor the perfect combination of coffee and Cognac.

  • I ordered a cafe royale after dinner.

  • Would you like a cafe royale after dessert, or do you prefer something non-alcoholic?

  • Would you like a cafe royale?

  • He ended his meal with a cafe royale to savor the perfect combination of coffee and Cognac.

  • The bartender prepared a classic cafe royale, expertly flaming the Cognac before adding it to the coffee.

  • Would you like a cafe royale after dessert, or do you prefer something non-alcoholic?

Synonyms

coffee royal
vscafe royale
9.5

A drink of strong coffee with Cognac, lemon peel and sugar

has identical ingredients but uses a different name form

Surface Forms

cafe royale singular
cafe royales plural
café royales plural
café royale singular

Morphology

cafe + royale

The headwords 'cafe' (coffee) and 'royale' (royal/fancy) make it reasonably clear to a B1 learner that this is a special or 'fancy' coffee, so the general idea is inferable from the parts. However, the exact recipe—black coffee mixed with Cognac and specific garnishes—is not predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cafe royale may come from old French cafés where bartenders poured a little hot black coffee and a bit of Cognac together and sometimes lit it for a warm, fancy effect that felt 'fit for royalty'. So, the name now means a special 'coffee with Cognac'.