Irish Coffee is a favorite after dinner drink all over the world and consists of sweetened coffee with a shot of Irish whiskey, topped off with a layer of lightly whipped cream.
But did you ever wonder how on earth Ireland became famous for a coffee cocktail rather than a tea based tipple?
In years gone by we were a nation of tea drinkers and coffee was a special treat in many homes. The answer to the origins of Irish coffee lies in the west of Ireland, in Foynes, County Limerick.
The History of Irish Coffee:
In the 1940’s Foynes was an airbase for Flying Boats travelling between America and Europe. For many passengers, short refueling stops turned into overnight stays because of Ireland’s notoriously bad weather conditions. And so, a new restaurant was opened in Foynes to cater for these new Irish visitors.
On a stormy winter night in 1942, a flight to New York had to turn back for Foynes where the restaurant chef, Joe Sheridan was instructed to prepare something warm for their returning American guests.
And that’s when the magic happened. Joe sweetened some freshly brewed, rich coffee with brown sugar, livened it up with a dash of Irish whiskey, then crowned it with a floating layer of whipped cream.
When asked by a passenger if this drink was Brazilian coffee, Joe Sheridan proudly proclaimed it to be “Irish Coffee.” And so the famous beverage was born.
Irish Coffee was created to warm up cold Americans, and it continues to warm coffee lovers throughout the world to this very day.
Irish coffee was added to the menu at the Foynes restaurant for all to enjoy. But how did this newly invented Irish beverage gain such international acclaim?
The answer lies in the western United States, not the west of Ireland. A travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, brought the recipe back from Foynes to the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco.
The chef there had little success preventing the cool cream from sinking and making the coffee a murky brown, creamy mess.
The Buena Vista Cafe came looking for Joe Sheridan in Ireland where they found him at the newly opened Shannon Airport. Joe moved to San Francisco where he perfected the Irish Coffee and the drink gained international fame.
And the lesson of this story is that a classic Irish Coffee is not easy to make. In fact, a good Irish coffee is very hard to find. I have even heard it rebuked as an awful drink.
Now being a tea drinker myself, I am no connoisseur of this famous concoction, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a mean Irish coffee for my husband to enjoy.
I believe this famous Irish cocktail’s poor reputation can be directly linked to times when inferior quality core ingredients are used to blend this classic drink.
And so I thought today I would create a quick list of Irish coffee making tips.
Irish Coffee Making Tips:
Instant coffee is a no-no. You need a slightly bitter coffee, sweetened with a caramely brown sugar.
Cheap whiskey is another culprit for producing mediocre Irish coffees. In my opinion only a good fiery Irish whiskey will do. Paddy is a favorite in our house, but is not easily found in the United States. Jameson or Bushmills are perfect for Irish coffee making, and they also make an amazing Irish hot whiskey.
And finally the cream is often the cause of an Irish coffee fiasco. Whatever you do, please never produce one of those cans of ready whipped cream and spray it on top of your Irish coffee. Lightly whipped cream must be poured over the back of a spoon, and never squirted in spirals through a pressurized nozzle.
The goal is to create a concoction that resembles a perfectly poured pint of Guinness, the other famous Irish beverage.
But do not despair. My warnings may have frightened you from attempting to become a supreme Irish coffee maker, but rest assured my tutorial in today’s blog post will transform you into an Irish coffee making expert.
Ingredients for Irish Coffee:
- Whipping Cream
- Strong Coffee
- Brown Sugar
- Irish Whiskey
- Cocoa powder to dust (optional – not a traditional ingredient but a decorative touch.)
Method:
Pre-heat a clear glass or Irish coffee glass by pouring in some very hot water. Let it stand for a minute to heat the glass then empty out the water.
Next add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to the heated glass.
Top up the glass to about two third’s full with freshly brewed rich coffee. You have to leave room for the whiskey and cream so don’t fill the coffee to the top of the glass. Stir the coffee well to completely dissolve the sugar.
Next comes the all important step to make this a true Irish coffee. A generous measure of Irish Whiskey is added and the brew is stirred yet again.
Now it’s time for the cream and this is the most technically difficult step in the whole process.
The fresh cream must be whipped but must still have a pouring consistency. ‘Half-whipped’ cream is the best description.
Never pour the cream directly onto the coffee. First make sure the coffee is completely still after all the stirring steps.
Take a spoon and hold it upside down over the top of the coffee. Gently pour the cream over the back of the spoon until a clearly visible white layer forms at the top of the glass.
Irish Coffee should look just like a perfectly poured pint of Guinness. Just like the head on a pint of Guinness, the top creamy layer of an Irish Coffee must float and not mingle throughout the dark coffee.
The more distinctly definite the line between coffee and cream, the more perfect the Irish coffee.
Feel free to dust the top of the Irish coffee with a little cocoa powder if you wish, but this is an added extra, deviating a little from the original Joe Sheridan creation.
You can also use a stem glass if you wish.
Printable Recipe for Irish Coffee:
Here’s the printable recipe if you would like to add this to your cooking or cocktail files.
Irish Coffee
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups black coffee
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons whiskey
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder optional for decorating
Instructions
- Brew the black coffee.
- Pre-heat two heat proof clear glasses or Irish coffee glasses by pouring in some very hot water. Let them stand for a minute to heat the glasses, then discard the water.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to the bottom of each glass.
- Pour coffee into each glass until about ¾ full.
- Add a shot of whiskey to each glass.
- Whip the cream with a balloon whisk or electric mixer until thick but still pourable.
- Pour the cream over the back of a spoon onto the top of each coffee. The cream should form a floating layer.
- Decorated the top with a dusting of cocoa powder if desired. Serve immediately while hot.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
But be fair warned, when my Irish coffee lesson is learned and practiced your Irish and not so Irish neighbors may become frequent visitors in search of the perfect nightcap.
And as you shoot the breeze, chatting over warm Irish coffees, you can impress your guests by throwing in a few Irish coffee quotations into your conversation.
Here are some of my favorites.
“Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass
all four essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.”
~ Alex Levine
“Put some whiskey in my coffee,
Because it’s Ireland somewhere.”
~ Author Unknown
“I like my men like I like my coffee,
Hot, strong and Irish.”
~ Author Unknown
Wishing you all the best of luck making Irish coffees this year. I hope your cream floats to the top as you pour it over the back of a spoon.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Happy New Year Mairead! I love this blog…have not tried Irish coffee, but am now motivated to do so! Wishing you and your family a beautiful 2018!
Many happy returns, Maury. I hope you have a wonderful 2018. Thanks so much for checking out my Irish Coffee recipe.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Happy New Year Mairead and all your readers! Thanks for the Irish coffee tips – I might use it in my next Dermot O’Hara novel… Mind you I may commit sacrilege before then by adding a single malt Scotch in a (sort of) Gaelic coffee!
Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2018,
Mial
Hi Mial – Dermot O’Hara sounds like a character who would enjoy a good Irish Coffee. But as you write, a few Gaelic Coffees made with the whisky of your choice are definitely allowed. Was it not the Irish who taught the Scottish how to perfect their whisky? 🥃
All the best,
Mairéad
Hello Mairead! I just love your blog and have tried many of your recipes! Irish coffee has always been a favorite of mine, but now I know that I’ve been drinking it all wrong. I live in SE Arizona and every I order it, they use Bailey’s instead of whiskey. And sadly, many places use the pressurized whipped cream. I had no idea it was supposed to look like Guinness. I’m off to make it correctly now! Happy New Year!
Hi Traci – I think many people make the mistake of topping an Irish Coffee with thick pressurized whipped cream. Lightly whipped is best so that the coffee is sipped through the cream and both can blend together with every sip. Happy New Year to you too.
All the best,
Mairéad
Oh I have missed you in my Inbox, great to see you today! These are some great tips for making Irish Coffee! Happy new year and I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you and cheers!🍀
Mary Ann
Hi Mary Ann – It’s good to rejoin the blogging world. I’m delighted to hear you enjoy seeing my emails in your inbox. Thanks for all your support and for following my ramblings.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2018.
Mairéad
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Many happy returns, Linda. Here’s to a great 2018.
All the best,
Mairéad
Hello Mairead!
Happy New Year!
Good to have you back- I’ve missed you!
(But I do understand, breaks are necessary!)
Looking forward to your 2018 posts!
Sinita
Hi Sinita – Good to be back blogging. 2017 was a little hectic so a break was definitely in order. Thanks for stopping by to check out my first post of 2018. I hope it will be a great year of blogging.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Happy New Year, Mairead!! It’s good to hear from you again. I Live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my husband and I capped off many a night with an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista. They still make the best!! We also have made them many, many times for ourselves and friends. And, always at our St. Patrick’s Day parties. Nothing is better than an Irish Coffee on a cold winter night!! Blessings to you and your family. Alice
Hi Alice – It’s good to hear from a local that the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco still makes the best Irish coffees in the world. They truly put this classic drink on the map. Best wishes,
Mairéad
Put some whisky in my coffee because it’s Ireland somewhere.
I love that, it makes me smile. That little thought will warm my cold day, just as your blog does!
I love the story behind this drink.
Happy 2018, my friend! xx
Hi Kay – I hope you have a wonderful 2018 too. Thanks for stopping by and for checking out my Irish coffee tale.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
So good to hear from you again! I love the story behind the Irish coffee. I drink up Ireland stories like some people drink up Irish coffee! Happy happy New Year to you!
Mary
Hi Mary – Many happy returns to you and yours. I hope 2018 will be a great year and thank you so much for your support and for following my ramblings.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Happy New Year and welcome back! I was worried about you. Love this post to start the new year.
The coffee strangely makes me want dark toast with lots of butter to go along with it. Now that’s a breakfast! LOL
Hi Penny – That would be some breakfast. Good to be back blogging.
Best wishes for a fantastic 2018.
Mairéad
Welcome back, Mairead. I really missed your posts. We all need a little smile once in a while, and your ramblings bring back so many unique Irish memories for me. Wishing you and your family a terrific New Year!
Cheers, Maureen
Thanks, Maureen. Lovely to hear from everyone and learn my ramblings have been missed. So glad my stories and recipes bring back goo Irish memories.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2018.
Mairéad
Wishing you a bright New Year; I’ll look forward to trying some Irish Coffee when it’s winter-time here 🙂
Happy New Year to you too, Valerie. Enjoy the rest of your southern hemisphere summer.
Mairéad
Happy new year to you Mairead! Glad to hear from you again! Looking forward to your emails in my inbox! ☘
Hi Patricia – Thanks so much. It’s lovely to know readers look forward to my emails in their inboxes. I hope to be a more diligent blogger in 2018. Thanks for all your support.
Take care and best wishes for a wonderful 2018.
Mairéad
Hi Irish American Mom, I like your blog, and seems (I haven’t tasted it) you make a fine Irish Coffee – Irish whiskey but I just wonder how often you look at the spelling of Irish Whiskey there’s a big difference between scotch and Irish, we (the Irish) spell it whiskEy the scots spell it like you , as an Irish woman living, born bred and generations behind me here in Ireland the spelling of whiskey is a sticking point – Uisce Beatha and all that
For wannabe Irish Americans as nearly everyone wants to be Irish, you have a great blog on making the irish coffees and the story’s of foynes etc., you researched well
Sin é
Mairéad
Hi Mairéad – Thanks so much for reading my Irish coffee ramblings. I read through my post again to make sure I spelled whiskey with the required ‘ey’ to indicate the Irish version of our beloved uisce beatha. I think we’re good there. In the comments section I did respond to one reader using “whisky” since he was joking that he likes a malted Scotch and may have to make a Gaelic Coffee instead of an Irish coffee. Your wonderful comment has given me inspiration for another blog post. I think I need to research the differences between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky and the historical links between the two.
Many thanks, and all the best,
Mairéad
I love your blog Mairéad and it was not to be a criticism an observation, you are doing really well. The research you are thinking of is a great idea, I went to Midleton in Co. Cork a while back they have just that, along with the story of Uisce beatha. It would be a great tour to take our American friends on, they do the tour, see the different stills used to distil whiskey even poitín, at the end of the tour, the tourist gets to sample and do a blind taste test of Irish and Scotch whiskeys and bourbon, I was on a group tour and oh dear, I guessed them all correct (looked a right whiskey head) and won myself a bottle of Jameson blended whiskey. A wonderful experience I’ve had to have a few hot one’s in the past few days, cold weather getting the better of my immune system, I prefer the sugar to the honey to sweeten the hot toddy too. You do know how to make the perfect hot toddy, I grant you that 😉
Mairéad
Thanks so much Mairéad. Next time I’m in Cork I must make a point of going to Midleton to visit the Jameson distillery. In fact I must visit the Bourbon trail in Kentucky too.
Take care,
Mairéad
Next time you’re in Cork, let me know, I’ll join you 🙂
Mairéad (although, it be funny both of us calling each other the same name, I’m Peig with pals )
Enjoy the Bourbon trail if you take it 😉
What a fun write-up! My Cobh born Dad was a great Irish coffee maker and my husband learned from him and just loves to make it. He even made special provision at our daughter’s wedding that Irish coffee be served! I love your write-up and pictures…I never knew the history. Thank you and, as always, God bless you, Mairead!
Hi Irishnannie – Irish coffees are a perfect treat for any Irish wedding. I’m so glad this post helped share the history of this famous Irish beverage.
All the best,
Mairéad
I love your blog the irish coffee looks so good
Thanks so much Helen for checking out my recipes and ramblings.
All the best,
Mairéad
I made this recipe this evening-wonderful! Thank you! ☘️
I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed your Irish Coffee, Lisa. Thanks so much for trying out my recipe.
All the best,
Mairéad
!!!WARNING!!!
This recipe is TOO GOOD! I’ve made it every morning for the last three months! I’ve lost my job, my apartment, my friends and family think I’m rotten. And this Irish coffee is to blame…. For my happiness! Thank you, Mom. Is it ok if I call you that?… Mom…
Just some 2020 humor for y’all. This recipe is truly delicious! About to make yer tater soup now! Cheers! Happy 2021!!!
Not the best beverage for the morning, much better as a night cap.
I hope you enjoy my potato soup.
All the best, and happy New Year.
Mairéad
Are you kidding, do you have any idea how many times a couple of these fellas picked me up enough to get to work on a cold monday morning? 🤣
Hi Shaun – Irish coffee is definitely a bracing start to the day. Thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
Perfect recipe for Irish coffee. A floating layer of cream and not a swirled dollop is the traditional way of making this famous drink.
Hi Sherrie – I’m so glad you approve of my method for making Irish coffees. A swirl of cream from a can is definitely not the right way in my book. Thanks for stopping by to check out this recipe.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Paddy’s whiskey?, never in my company. It was traditional in Cork but my god a more vile liquor I never tasted, always Bushmills or Black Bush for me!
Hi Shaun – Bushmills and Black Bush are my husband’s preferred brands too, but he’s from Donegal. I don’t mind a drop of Paddy or Jameson, but my family are all from Cork and may be a little biased towards our own distilleries. Thanks for your whiskey tips.
All the best,
Mairéad
Ahh the family are fellow Corkonian’s, I hale from Crosshaven….Cobh and Kinsale were my stomping grounds, especially when Keith Floyd had his restaurant there.
Sláinte
Hi Shaun – My family hails from Kildorrery and Skibbereen. Love West Cork and the coastline, and the Ballyhoura mountains in North Cork.
All the best,
Mairéad