Swiss "Kafi Fertig" - What it is and how it's done

A true Swiss specialty introduced to you by Swiss House Shop. "Kafi Fertig" or "Kafi Luz" (short for Lucerne) or "Cheli" is a hot drink to enjoy around the carnival season in Switzerland. It consists of a glass of thin coffee with 'Träsch' - a liqueur made of apples and pears. According to the recipe the coffee should be transparent like tea, so that one can still read the newspaper thru it.

Kafi Luz was invented in the 18th century in Switzerland, when the per capita consumption of distilled liqueurs was at 13 litres p.a. For the farmers the day began with a pre-breakfast 'Schnapps". It was meant to help the digestion of the heavy cheese dishes. When the authorities introduced the ban on distilling and consuming alcohol the people started to conceal the liqueur in the coffee.

For more information on how it is prepared look up the Kafi Fertig sampler package in the Swiss Liqueurs & Specialties section of our website.