Irish Coffee Recipe: Whiskey, Coffee and Cream

Ingredients

1¾ oz Irish whiskeye.g. Jameson · Bushmills · Tullamore D.E.W. · Redbreast · Powers
1 tsp brown sugar or 10 ml demerara syrup
4 oz hot, strong filter coffee
1¾ oz cream

Garnish: Lightly whipped cream float · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Warm a heatproof stemmed glass with hot water, then empty it.
Add the brown sugar and the hot coffee and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the Irish whiskey and stir again.
Float the lightly whipped cream on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a warm spoon.
Serve without stirring and drink through the cream.

Watch it made

Irish Coffee

Taste

Hot, sweet and roasty with a smooth whiskey warmth, finished by cool, rich cream. Moderately strong.

History and origin

Irish coffee was created in the 1940s by Joe Sheridan, chef at the flying boat terminal in Foynes on the west coast of Ireland, where transatlantic passengers often arrived cold and tired. He added Irish whiskey to their coffee and topped it with cream; when asked if it was Brazilian coffee, he is said to have replied that it was Irish coffee.

In 1952 the travel writer Stanton Delaplane brought the idea to the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, which worked on the recipe until the cream floated properly and made the drink famous in the United States. Sheridan later moved to San Francisco to work there. The International Bartenders Association lists it among its Contemporary Classics.

Bartender tips

Whip the cream only until it thickens slightly and still pours; stiff cream sits like a lid, runny cream sinks.
The sugar is essential: it makes the coffee dense enough for the cream to float.
Use strong filter coffee rather than espresso; the volume and body are right for the drink.

Variations

Buena Vista style: The San Francisco version uses two sugar cubes and a thinner layer of cream in a small, footed glass.
Irish Coffee with demerara syrup: Easy twist: 10 ml of demerara syrup instead of sugar dissolves instantly and adds caramel notes.