How to make a Great Cup of Irish Coffee
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If you like this then please subscribe to the When it comes to coffee, there’s a lot of talk about the Italian specialty drinks like espresso and cappuccino. However, there’s something about the smooth taste of Irish coffee that is pretty damn intoxicating. One sip of this magical brew and you begin to wonder why the Irish need any luck when they have such a great coffee beverage.
A classic Irish coffee is made up of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and some sugar, with double cream whipped until it begins to stiffen, floated on top. Irish coffee can be considered to be a variation on the hot toddy (hot toddy id the name given to a mixed drink which is served hot).
Of the numerous Irish exports that have been welcomed throughout the world, none are more unique and heart warming than the traditional Irish coffee. The origins of Irish coffee owes itself, as many Irish drinks do, to the cold yet ‘refreshing’ Irish weather. In the 1930s and 1940s, Foynes - a port town in the south-west of Ireland, was a major transfer point between the United States and Europe for passenger flying boats that made an often bumpy and chilly eighteen hour journey across the vast Atlantic Ocean. On one occasion in 1942, realizing that passengers were often cold and exhausted after the long flight and the short boat trip from the seaplane to the Foynes terminal restaurant, the caterers, managed by Brendan O’Regan, and the chef, Joe Sheridan, developed a drink with an Irish touch that was sure to warm their hearts and spirits. And thus, the great Irish coffee was invented.
However, different variants of Irish coffee have evolved over the years, such as Baileys coffee and Kentucky coffee, which substitute Baileys Irish Cream and Bourbon whiskey for the Irish whiskey respectively.
How to prepare Irish coffee:
Black coffee or ordinary coffee is prepared in the usual manner.
Whiskey and the desired level of teaspoon of sugar is to be added and stirred into the coffee until it is fully dissolved. The real purpose of the sugar is to keep the cream on the coffee floating, and from melting into the mix.
The cream should be dropped on the top of the coffee forming a ‘head’, and thereby giving an overall appearance similar to that of a properly poured Guinness. It helps to pour the cream slowly over a spoon that has been heated in a mug of boiling water.
The final taste is affected by the strength of the coffee, the type of whiskey you use, the way you add the cream, whether or not you use brown or white sugar and, of course, the proportions used of each ingredient. Another choice when making Irish coffee is the type of glass or mug you will use. The “classic” glass is a 6-ounce stemmed glass. Another familiar glass or mug used is an 8-ounce mug with a handle. This type of mug actually seems a bit more practical for holding a hot cup of liquids.
The basic steps (in addition to the steps mentioned above) for preparing Irish coffee are:
Warm the glass
Fill the glass 2/3 full of coffee
Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and stir (3 teaspoons for the larger glass)
Add 1 ounce of whiskey (1 ½ ounce for the larger glass)
Top with prepared cream
Assign designated driver
If you are making several Irish coffees, it is advisable to make one glass of the coffee first and taste it to see if it meets the taste requirements.
Irish coffee is actually a great drink to serve with dessert or with cookies. There are some who would like to make their Irish coffee look a bit more seasonal by adding a drizzle of green Crème de Menthe over the top. (The Irish coffee tastes really great with Crème de Menthe)
