A cremaet is coffee with flambéed spirits, usually rum, flavoured with ingredients such as citrus peel or cinnamon. In the Valencia region it is associated with the end of almuerzo, the substantial mid-morning meal: a chance to stay at the table and talk a little longer.
What goes into it
Turisme Comunitat Valenciana describes a preparation involving coffee, spirits and aromatic ingredients. Rum is usual, although its account allows for other spirits. The drink may show layers of different colours in the glass.
The AVL dictionary records cremat as a drink made with rum or another spirit, coffee, lime peel and sugar, which is flambéed. Cremaet is the popular form you will see in many bars and in tourism writing. The name refers to that use of fire, rather than dairy cream.
One custom, several versions
To understand the glass in front of you, ask which spirit the bar uses and which flavourings it adds. Two drinks with the same name may have a different balance of coffee, sweetness and spice. The tourism account makes room for the creativity of the person preparing it.
This entry helps you recognise the drink on a menu. Making it requires a recipe and appropriate handling of the flambéing stage: a definition alone does not provide quantities, timings or equipment.
Alicante too
The regional tourism website places cremaet after almuerzos in Castellón, Valencia and Alicante. Its connection with the table comes through the end of the meal and the conversation afterwards.
At a Vinalopó gathering, coffee is another part of the programme. If you are organising a fiesta meal, decide whether there will be time to linger or whether the next event means leaving promptly. Agreeing coffee and drink options when settling the menu helps too.
At a committee meal
Allowing time to clear plates, serve coffees and return to the street helps the meal end comfortably. The service format needs to suit that final stretch and the time everyone must leave for the next event.
If you want time to linger after a committee meal, factor that into your enquiry about our local fiesta catering. When you request a quote, tell us when the meal ends and the next event begins; coffee and drink options are agreed with the menu.
Related terms
See also: Casal faller · Hogueras barraca · Comparsa.