Who hasn’t heard of Irish coffee? And who hasn’t tasted it? Unless you are a non-drinker you have probably come across this drink at one stage or another. It’s a classic. There is, however, good Irish coffee and bad Irish coffee. Most people agree that making good coffee is an art. When other ingredients are involved that art gets even more complicated. According to Wikipedia “The World Coffee In Good Spirits Championship is a yearly event in which Irish coffee is one of two coffee cocktails prepared by finalists.”
Irish coffee is coffee mixed with whiskey and sugar, with a layer of cream floating on top.
So what’s the trick to making excellent Irish coffee? Well, good coffee for starters. For this drink it’s generally preferred to us a mild coffee Arabica. You will want normal brewed coffee, or an espresso diluted with water also known as caffe Americano.
At least one teaspoon of sugar is needed as without it, the cream won’t float. Back in the olden days the cream was aged 48 hours to make it float more easily. Today that’s not normally the case, but it’s important you pour it over a spoon to make it float. Many people cheat and use whipped cream, but that’s not what the original recipe calls for.
We are thinking that compared to the Mexican coffee drink we posted, this must be the hottest one, as people living on a fog covered rainy island with houses probably lacking in insulation must be in desperate need of a hot drink.
This classic recipe for Irish coffee comes direct from Limerick, Ireland, where it was created by Chef Joe Sheridan in 1942 in an airport terminal that passengers passed through on their way to and from North America.
Serves: 1
Preparation Time: 5 min
NOTES:
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. – Alex Levine