Red-Eye Coffee Recipe: How to Make a Red-Eye Coffee

Red-eye coffee is a coffee drink made with a cup of brewed coffee and a shot of espresso. Its name likely comes from its association with red-eye flights, or flights that depart at night and reach your destination by morning. Variously known as a shot in the dark (in the Pacific Northwest), a sludge cup (in Alaska), a mondo (in the Northeast), an oil spill (in Kansas), and a train wreck (in California), this beverage is less about the flavor of the coffee and more about making it through a late night or early morning.

The exact amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee depends on factors such as the coffee beans themselves, the way they were roasted, the brewing method, and the amount of coffee in your cup. One obvious factor that can affect the strength of your brew is how many shots of espresso your red eye contains. A classic red eye is made with one shot of espresso, which contains approximately 100 milligrams of caffeine. That said, many specialty coffee shops now serve double shots. If you're not sure what you’ll get, ask your barista.

A single serving of normal drip coffee contains anywhere from 65 to 175 milligrams of caffeine. So, on the low end, a single-shot red eye may contain as little as 165 milligrams of caffeine. A double-shot red eye made with a very strong cup of coffee, however, could contain as much as 275 milligrams of caffeine.

A red eye is traditionally made with a single shot of espresso, while a black-eye coffee is made with two shots, and a dead-eye coffee (also known as a green eye) is made with three.