How to Make Irish Coffee

Irish Coffee looks almost too simple to need a recipe, but the details are what make it. The classic formula is hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and lightly whipped cream floated on top. You don’t stir it in ~ you drink the hot coffee right through that cool cream layer. Once you get the cream right, you’ve got it.

I make mine with Jameson and brown sugar, although I tend to keep the sugar light. Chocolate shavings are my little extra, not part of the classic drink. And yes, decaf works beautifully if this is your after-dinner coffee.

Irish Coffee was born at an airport

Irish Coffee was created in 1943 at the Foynes flying-boat terminal in County Limerick, Ireland, when chef Joe Sheridan added Irish whiskey to coffee for passengers returning from a weather-delayed flight. The drink later found its way to San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe, where it became famous ~ and where getting that cream to float turned out to be part of the challenge.

ingredients for a classic Irish Coffee

• hot coffee
  • Fresh and fairly strong is best so the coffee can hold its own against the whiskey and cream. Drip or filter coffee is perfect, and decaf is absolutely fine.
• Irish whiskey
  • I use Jameson, but any good Irish whiskey you enjoy drinking will work. The Irish whiskey is what makes this an Irish Coffee rather than simply spiked coffee.
• brown sugar
  • Sugar is part of the classic formula, and it does more than sweeten the drink: once dissolved, it makes the coffee slightly denser, which helps that layer of cream float. I use a light hand because I don’t like my coffee very sweet.
• heavy cream
  • Start with very cold cream and whip it just until it thickens but is still easily pourable. Think loose and silky rather than fluffy whipped cream.
• chocolate shavings, optional
  • Not traditional, but I love a little dark chocolate shaved over the top.

what’s the best Irish whiskey for Irish Coffee?

Irish Coffee is a good place for an approachable blended Irish whiskey ~ the coffee and cream soften the edges, so there’s no reason to pull out your rarest bottle.

• Jameson Irish Whiskey ~ smooth, balanced, easy to find, and the whiskey I use for this recipe.
• Tullamore D.E.W. Original Irish Whiskey ~ a little fruitier and spicier. *The Buena Vista uses Tullamore D.E.W. in its Irish Coffee.
• Bushmills Original ~ light and mellow, so it works especially well if you want the coffee to stay front and center.

the cream is the whole trick

The signature layer on an Irish Coffee isn’t a dollop of whipped cream ~ it should be soft enough to pour and smooth enough to drink through. Whip cold heavy cream just until it starts to thicken and falls from the whisk in a loose ribbon. If it’s standing up in peaks, it’s gone farther than you need.

To float it, hold a spoon just above the surface of the coffee and slowly pour the cream over the back of the spoon. The spoon softens the pour so the cream spreads instead of plunging into the coffee, and the sugar dissolved in the coffee helps by making the layer underneath a little denser.

Once the cream is on, that’s it ~ no stirring. Irish Coffee is meant to be sipped through the cool cream so you get hot coffee, whiskey, and cream together in every sip.

use a smaller, warmed glass

Irish Coffee is traditionally served in a relatively small glass ~ the Buena Vista famously uses a six-ounce goblet. That smaller size keeps the coffee, whiskey, and cream in balance, and warming the glass first with hot water helps the drink stay hot under that layer of cold cream.

a few ways to change up Irish Coffee

The original is hard to beat, but once you know the basic formula there are a few directions worth taking it.

• Baileys coffee: Replace some or all of the whiskey with Irish cream liqueur. You can use Baileys or my Homemade Irish Cream.
• Nutty Irishman: Add a splash of hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico along with the Irish whiskey ~ still my favorite variation.
• Iced Irish Coffee: Chill the coffee first and serve it over ice with Irish whiskey and lightly whipped cream for a warm-weather version.
• Lower-alcohol Irish Coffee: Use a tablespoon of Irish whiskey per serving. You’ll still get the flavor without making the drink quite as strong.

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Irish Coffee

5 from 5 votes

A classic Irish Coffee layers hot coffee and Irish whiskey under cool, lightly whipped cream ~ simple, warming, and ready in 5 minutes.

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Prep Time:5 minutes minutes

Total Time:5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Equipment

• 2 heat resistant glass mugs (buying options)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 12 ounces fresh brewed hot coffee
• 6 Tbsp Irish whiskey, there are 3 tablespoons in a standard shot of whiskey, which is 1.5 fluid ounces.
• 2 tsp brown sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream, lightly whipped until thickened but still pourable

garnish

• chocolate shavings, optional

Instructions

• Warm two heatproof glasses with hot water and empty them.
• Divide coffee, whiskey, and brown sugar between the glasses and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Lightly whip the cold cream until thickened but still pourable. Slowly pour it over the back of a spoon held just above each coffee so it floats. Grate a little chocolate over the cream, if desired.
• Serve immediately and drink through the cream.

Notes

This recipe is for a standard Irish Coffee, but you can reduce the amount of whiskey if you like.

NOTES ~ Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: cocktails

Cuisine: Irish

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: cocktail, coffee, drinks, Irish, St Patrick’s Day, whiskey, winter

Nutrition

Calories: 332 kcal · Carbohydrates: 6 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 22 g · Saturated Fat: 14 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Cholesterol: 67 mg · Sodium: 21 mg · Potassium: 146 mg · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 875 IU · Vitamin C: 0.4 mg · Calcium: 46 mg · Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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