Ingredients
- 1 oz Coffee Liqueur
- 1 oz Sambuca
- 1 oz Blue Curacao Liqueur
- 1 oz Irish Cream
- 1 Straw
Instructions
Prepare the Base:
- In a cocktail glass or small tall glass, add 1 oz of coffee liqueur.
Layer Sambuca:
- Carefully layer 1 oz of sambuca on top of the coffee liqueur.
Prepare Additional Ingredients:
- In a separate shot glass or glasses, add 1 oz of blue curaçao and 1 oz of Irish cream. Set these aside.
Ignite and Drink:
- Light the sambuca on fire. Quickly and carefully drink the coffee liqueur and sambuca with a straw before it melts.
Finish with Blue Curacao and Irish Cream:
- As you reach the bottom of the glass, add the Irish cream and blue curaçao, which should extinguish any remaining flames. Continue drinking until it's all gone.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Flaming Lamborghini is a 1980s British party-bar invention, attributed to a London bartender named Roy Fortuna at the now-closed Cherrys Cocktail Bar in Hove around 1986. The recipe is theatre: equal pours of Kahlua and sambuca in a cocktail glass, set alight, with two side glasses of blue curacao and Baileys poured in while the flame is still going. Drunk through a straw.
The drink became a fixture on Mediterranean party-bar menus through the late 1980s and 1990s, then crossed to Las Vegas, Cancun and Sydney. Anywhere with a tourist crowd and a bartender willing to put on a show. The name borrows the supercar association with speed, money and bad decisions.
It is not a sipping cocktail. It is a dare-shaped drink. Made for camera phones and bachelorette parties. Drink it once, post it, do not order a second.
What it tastes like
Coffee and aniseed up front from the Kahlua and sambuca. Orange-peel and chocolate through the middle from the curacao and Baileys. A faint burnt-sugar note from the fire. Sweet, complex, dessert-like.
The fire changes the flavour slightly. The sambuca caramelises on the surface and the spirits warm in the glass. The drink that lands at your lips is hotter and sweeter than the cold-layered version. That is the entire point.
The technique
Pour one ounce of coffee liqueur and one ounce of sambuca into a sturdy cocktail glass. Pour one ounce of blue curacao into a shot glass on one side and one ounce of Baileys into a shot glass on the other. Light the cocktail glass with a long match or wand lighter, never a Zippo near the rim.
While the flame is going, pour both side glasses into the cocktail glass. The Baileys extinguishes the flame as it goes in. Wait until the flame has fully dropped, then drink through a straw. Never lean over the glass while it is alight, never blow on the flame, and never serve in a thin crystal glass that can crack from the heat.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The unusual move.
Sambuca (the fire)
- Use
- Sambuca Romana, Luxardo, Galliano (any 38 percent ABV white sambuca)
- Skip
- Black sambuca (the dye reads off in flame), low-proof anise liqueurs (will not light cleanly)
- Why
- The sambuca lights because it is 38 percent ABV. The Kahlua does not light on its own (only 20 percent ABV) but burns under a sambuca cap. Without sambuca, no fire.
Blue Curacao + Baileys
- Use
- Bols Blue Curacao and Baileys Original Irish Cream
- Try
- Senior Curacao for a real-orange profile; Carolans for the Irish cream half
- Why
- The two side glasses are poured in during the flame. The curacao adds the colour and the orange flavour, the Baileys puts the fire out and gives the drink its dessert finish. Both extinguish the flame, which is exactly what they are there to do.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
Unlit Version
- Lamborghini
- Same four ingredients layered cold in a cocktail glass, no fire. Less theatre, same flavour, fewer eyebrows lost.
Shot Version
- Mini Lamborghini
- Same proportions in two-thirds-ounce pours, served in two shot glasses (Kahlua + sambuca / curacao + Baileys). Slammed back-to-back. The fast version.
Aussie Version
- Pacific Lamborghini
- Swap the blue curacao for green Midori. The fire turns slightly greener, the cocktail tastes more melon-forward.
What if I don’t have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Tia Maria, Sheridans, or any coffee liqueur. Espresso plus simple syrup in a pinch.
White ouzo, Pernod, or any anise liqueur with at least 35 percent ABV. The fire needs the alcohol content to light.
Triple sec works for the orange flavour but you lose the colour. A drop of blue food colouring fixes the look.
Carolans, Kerrygold, Five Farms, or any Irish cream. The cream finish is what stops the drink from being unbearable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Flaming Lamborghini?
One ounce of coffee liqueur, one ounce of sambuca, one ounce of blue curacao, one ounce of Baileys Irish Cream, and a straw. Set alight before drinking, with the curacao and Baileys poured in during the flame.
How do you make a Flaming Lamborghini?
Pour the coffee liqueur and sambuca into a cocktail glass. Pour the blue curacao and the Baileys into two separate shot glasses. Light the cocktail glass. While the flame is going, pour the two side glasses in. Drink through a straw once the flame drops.
Is the Flaming Lamborghini safe?
It is safe if done correctly. The fire is fed by the sambuca’s alcohol. Pour the side glasses in before the flame gets out of hand, drink through a straw only after the flame has dropped, and never lean over the glass while it is alight.
Why do you light the Flaming Lamborghini on fire?
Theatre, mostly. The fire warms the spirits, caramelises a small amount of the sambuca’s sugar, and gives the drink a slightly burnt-sugar finish. The dominant reason is visual.
What does a Flaming Lamborghini taste like?
Coffee and aniseed up front from the Kahlua and sambuca, orange-peel and chocolate through the middle from the curacao and Baileys, a faint burnt-sugar note from the fire. Sweet, complex, dessert-like.
Is the Flaming Lamborghini strong?
Yes. Four ounces of liqueur land it around 30 percent ABV in the glass. One of the strongest dessert-format drinks on any bar menu. Two of these is asking for trouble.
Where did the Flaming Lamborghini come from?
A London bartender named Roy Fortuna at Cherrys Cocktail Bar in Hove, around 1986. The drink became a fixture on Mediterranean party-bar menus through the late 1980s and 1990s.
Can I make a Flaming Lamborghini without fire?
Yes, and most home versions skip the fire entirely. Layer the four ingredients cold in a cocktail glass, drink with a straw. Same flavour, less theatre, no singed eyebrows.
How many calories are in a Flaming Lamborghini?
Around 320 calories per glass. The four liqueurs are all sweetened, the Baileys carries the most calories. The fire does not change the calorie count.
What glass do you serve a Flaming Lamborghini in?
A standard 6-ounce cocktail glass or a martini glass with a sturdy bowl. Glass that can handle heat. Avoid plastic and avoid thin crystal.
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