Did you know there are 2 Irish Coffee recipes? Here’s how to make Irish Coffee the Irish way & the American way and the men that brought us both. (And an easy at-home Irish coffee recipe, too.)
*The sugar in the recipe is absolutely essential as this is one of the reasons the cream floats on top. Don’t go low-cal with this!
The Traditional Irish Coffee
In 1943 Brendan O’Regan opened a restaurant and coffee shop in the Shannon Airport considered one of the best restaurants in Ireland at the time.
His chef was Joe Sheridan.
One wintry night a Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat enroute to New York had to return to the Foynes airport due to bad weather.
Sheridan added a little Irish whiskey to their coffee to help warm them up. One of the passengers who enjoyed it asked him if it was Brazilian coffee. “No – that’s Irish Coffee” he jokingly responded, and it’s been called that ever since.
For more of the story visit the Foynes Flying Boat Museum.
Original Foynes Irish Coffee Recipe
Original Foynes Irish Coffee
Original Irish coffee recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 c freshly brewed coffee
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 jugger (1.5 oz) Irish whiskey
- 1 oz heavy cream, slightly whipped
Instructions
- Fill a large stemmed coffee cup or Irish cream glass with boiling water to preheat it. Let it stand for few seconds, then empty the glass.
- Fill glass 3/4 full with coffee. Add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add a jigger of whiskey. Stir.
- Slightly whip the cream with a fork, just to thicken it but it is still pourable.
- Holding the spoon upside down over the glass, slowly pour lightly whipped cream over the back of the spoon so it floats on top of the coffee. Do not stir.
If you’d like to add a chocolate touch, stir 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate chips with the sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle chocolate dust on top of whipped cream.
This is the perfect footed mug to make Irish Cream coffee.
Four 8 1/2 oz mugs on Amazon.
Irish Coffee Comes to America
In 1952 Pulitzer Prize winner Stanton Delaplane, a travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, enjoyed a cup of Irish coffee at the airport and on his return home met with Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, to recreate the drink.
They faced two problems: getting the taste just right and making the cream float on the top. Delaplane travelled to the Shannon Airport again for more research and Koeppler contacted the San Francisco mayor, a dairy owner, for information.
The perfect tasting whiskey was selected (today they use Tullamore Dew.) They decided to use a cream aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency. They mastered the use of the spoon to make the cream float delicately on the top. Instead of brown sugar, they decided to use 2 sugar cubes.
They discovered that using the right chalice was key to the flavor as well. Using a stemmed 6 ounce heat resistance glass was key to the whiskey-coffee balance. Preheating the glass is important too.
Today they serve over 2,000 Irish cream coffees a day – close to double that on St Patricks Day. On 11/10/2008 The Buena Vista earned the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest Irish Coffee. See photos of the event at their website.
Buena Vista Irish Coffee Recipe
American Buena Vista Irish Coffee
American Irish coffee recipe first made by the Buena Vista cafe.
Ingredients
- 1 c freshly brewed coffee
- 2 sugar cubes
- 1 jugger (1.5 oz) Tullamore Dew whiskey
- 1 oz heavy cream, slightly whipped
Instructions
- Fill a large coffee cup or Irish cream glass with boiling water to preheat it. Let it stand for a few seconds, then empty the glass.
- Put 2 sugar cubes in glass. Fill glass 3/4 full with coffee and stir until dissolved.
- Add whiskey.
- Hold a spoon over the coffee and slowly pour slightly whipped cream (but still pourable) over it so it floats on the beverage.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g
We provide nutritional information but these figures should be considered estimates as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
Irish Coffee at Home
It’s easy to make at home, now that you know the steps.
- black coffee (espresso is too dark)
- add Irish whiskey and a couple teaspoons of white or brown sugar and stir
- top with fresh whipped cream or a spurt of canned whipped cream
- enjoy!
Just remember that its the sugar that makes the whipped cream float, so don’t leave it out.
Sláinte.
Want more? See all of our cocktail recipes.
Classic & Specialty Cocktail Recipes
Whether you’re looking for something warm & mulled on a cold day or an icy cocktail in the summer, check out our classic & specialty cocktail recipes.
Want more? See our new cocktail recipes & cocktail party ideas.
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