Negro sweat

Negro sweat (German: Negerschweiß) is a colloquial term, primarily used in German military language, for low-quality coffee of an indefinable taste. The term, without any derogatory connotations (similar to "Reichsneger"), is said to have originated in the Imperial Navy at the beginning of the 20th century as a colonial influenced term for the typical watered-down multiple brews of coffee on the high seas during times of food shortages. In addition to the soldiers’ language, prison jargon also includes the term “Negerschweiß” for the supposed “Muckefuck” (thin, bad coffee or even coffee substitute) of the correctional facilities.

Linguistic equations

In German, other stimulants (because of their black color) are jokingly equated with Negro sweat:

• Hot chocolate or cocoa without milk
• Coca-Cola and similar soft drinks
• Dark beer
  • According to the beer guide of the "Pumpe" restaurant in Klagenfurt, Negerschweiß is a mixture of beer and soft drink
  • Mulatto beer, a blend of Stiftsbräu (dark beer brewed in a monastery) and light beer
  • Neger-Bier is a traditional name for a cola-beer mix in Upper Austria
• Licorice (hardened negro sweat; German company Haribo's Negertaler, available since 1925, were renamed Lakritztaler in 1993)
• Maggi (brand of seasoning, mainly for soup and sauces)
• Black coffee without milk (general term in Austria)