Red eye (drink)

A red eye is a fortified coffee drink in which espresso is combined with normal drip brew coffee.^[1] It is known by various names, some of which refer to different variants. Drip coffee to which espresso is added may be called a red eye, black eye, or dead eye, depending on the number of coffee shots added.^[2]

While "black eye" was named for the appearance of the circular black marking caused by pouring the shot on the top of the cup of coffee with cream, the "red eye" was named for the extra added zip needed to stay awake through an overnight "red eye" flight from the West Coast to New York City or Washington, D.C..

Alternative names [edit]

The red eye has many monikers, depending on the region:

At Caribou Coffee, the drink is called a Depth Charge, which is its federally registered trademark
In the San Francisco Bay Area, it is often known as a sledgehammer or hammerhead.
In Alaska, it is known as a sludge cup, possibly in reference to the state's large petroleum industry (see oil sludge).^[3]
In the Pacific Northwest, a single and double shot is known as a shot in the dark and a double shot in the dark respectively.^[4]
At Dunkin' Donuts, the drink is known as a turbo, and is available either hot or iced.^[5]
In some regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, a dead eye is called an Al Pacino due to his enjoyment of coffee drinks and his participation in a Vittoria Coffee commercial in 2010.
US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan refer to the drink as a MOAC (Mother of all coffee) in a play on the name of the GBU-43/B (Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb) MOAB, colloquially referred to as the "Mother Of All Bombs".
A weaker variant on the drink is the "lazy eye", a shot of espresso is added to decaffeinated coffee.