I like coffee. I like Star Trek.
I’ve had a mild interest in the raktajino, a Klingon coffee drink commonly consumed in DS9. I’ve looked up a few fan theories and fan recipes. I haven’t seen any references to a canonical recipe, so I get that there’s a bit of fun and personal preference involved.
The only thing I don’t understand is why raktajino is commonly claimed to be made with liquor. On the one hand, I understand why Klingons might want a stiff additive to their caffeine. However, the context in which characters on DS9 drink it does not suggest the presence of intoxicants. I recall at least a few occasions in which bridge officers, while on duty, drink a raktajino. Surely even synthol is not OK when you’re on shift for Starfleet.
An IRL reason: it was a cocktail made with coffee liquor at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas.
Ah, the Quark approach:
- Take a drink that costs forty slips of latinum to make
- Pour it into a novelty glass
- Add a dash of liquor
- Charge two strips of latinum for it
Hold up: I lied. (I realized I was commenting on Daystrom and went to go get a source.)
I was thinking of…
DEANNA TROI’S CHOCOLATE OBSESSION
If there’s one thing that Counselor Troi knows, it’s chocolate. And this is one of her favorite drinks in the galaxy. An empathic concoction of raspberry liqueur, Kahlua, Bailey’s, and chocolate syrup.
Here’s the recipe for Raktajino:
RAKTAJINO
Klingon coffee. A frozen blend of mocha and cappuccino. An honorable drink to prepare any warrior for combat. Qapla!
Coffee+Prune juice = Emergency teleport to the nearest restroom/holodeck.
Only when O’Brien makes it
I’ve seen people suggest adding alcohol, but I think the idea is to simulate that Klingon coffee would have a sharpness or bite to it, rather than assuming that raktajino on the show would actually have alcohol. I played around with some recipes for fun and I actually mixed a few together and found something pretty delicious. I mix Turkish coffee, a small amount of whipped milk, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and a little honey.
That’s very strange, I’ve looked at a few recipes and never seen alcohol as an ingredient. It usually is just coffee with some spices, usually including cinnamon.
