Irish Coffee
2014-04-13Ingredients
- 1½ oz Irish Whiskey
- ½ oz liquid Sugar in the Raw (or 1 to 1½ Sugar cubes)
- 4 oz Fresh Brewed Coffee
- 1 oz Heavy Cream
- Pour the Whiskey, Sugar, and Coffee into an Irish Coffee mug or small stemmed Wine Glass. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume and float atop the coffee.*
- Garnish with ground Nutmeg or Cinnamon.
- *See our video for tips on whipping the cream into a thickened, yet pourable state.
This classic cocktail was first mixed up in western Ireland in the 1940’s to warm the bodies and spirits of some chilled Americans trying to make their way home. After having landed in the harbor of Foynes in their Pan Am Clipper – weary from travel in the cold, stormy weather – these passengers found themselves at the bar of Joe Sheridan who, taking pity on their “pallor and tired eyes,” added some Irish Whiskey to their coffee and cream. Feeling warm and revitalized, one of the women asked if they were drinking “Brazilian coffee?” After a short pause, Mr. Sheridan replied, “No, it’s Irish coffee!”
Irish Coffee is blow to one’s senses. While the original would have had the cream stirred into the other ingredients, it is best enjoyed with the coffee and spirit mixture topped with slightly whipped cream. Offering up the wonders of rich cold cream followed almost immediately by the warm, sweet, spiked coffee, this concoction is one of the best hot cocktails ever created. Choose a light-medium roasted coffee with lower acidity. For variations on this classic, check out our American Coffee, Lucky Charmed Coffee, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Coffee, Apple Jacks Coffee, and our Millionaire’s Irish Coffee. Enjoy!