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It’s this time of year, when my tank is almost empty, that I start to crave Irish coffee. Its comforting collision of hot, sweet caffeine, Irish whiskey, and cold, thick cream is like being shot from a flaming cannon into the depths of a duck down duvet.
The recipe was invented in the 1940s by Irish chef Joe Sheridan as food for travelers arriving at Foynes Airport in County Limerick, which was then a hub for transatlantic flights. In the 1950s, Irish coffee was one of America’s favorite cocktails: San Francisco’s Buena Vista bar consumed 36 bottles of whiskey a day.
Classic Irish Coffee from Bar 1661
Makes 1 serving
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190 ml freshly brewed coffee (classic roast is best)
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15ml Demerara sugar syrup (to make: dissolve 2 cups Demerara sugar in 1 cup simmering water and bottle)
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30ml blended Irish whiskey
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Thick double cream, on top
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Fresh nutmeg (optional, to decorate)
Fill a Georgian Irish coffee glass or small-stemmed wine glass with hot water and let it steep while you gather the ingredients. Shake the cream in a protein shaker so it thickens but is still pourable and brew the coffee. Empty the wine glass with water, add the hot coffee, syrup and whiskey and mix briefly. Gently pour a finger-width layer of cream on top. Garnish with nutmeg, if desired.
An Irish coffee should, obviously, be made with Irish whiskey – Sean Muldoon, co-author of the definitive book When Whiskey Met Its Match: How Irish Coffee Captivated the Worldprefer a lighter style mix like Bushmills Original, sweetened with Demerara sugar syrup, which is made by dissolving two parts sugar in one part water over low heat. “When you offer Irish coffee to your guests, some reject it,” says Muldoon. “They will inevitably change their mind once everyone else has theirs. So always have enough ingredients for everyone. You will need them.”
Muldoon used to be part owner of The dead rabbit New York bar, which sold nearly 40,000 Irish coffees last year. The temperature contrast is crucial, says beverage director Aidan Bowie. “It is very, very important that the cream is cold.” To keep the coffee pipe warm, warm the glass in advance by filling it with hot water. At The Dead Rabbit’s new outpost in Austin, Texas, they serve an Irish coffee more suited to the warmer climate, made with Teeling whiskey from Dublin, fortified with Mr Black Coffee liqueur, and drizzled with ice.
Dublin Bar 1661 It is famous for its Irish coffee variations, which include coffee-soaked Guinness, soda bread syrup, and the Irish liqueur poitín. “However, what really sets our Irish coffees apart is our cream,” says owner David Mulligan. “The Irish product is silky and thick; there’s nothing like it.” To get the perfect white foam, he says, “shake it in a protein shaker to thicken it a little. Then you can pour it on top without needing a spoon.” Some like to have a grating of nutmeg on top, others consider it sacrilege. In da costa At Bruton they serve it with smoked orange peel.
In Whiskey and seaweedAt Clare Smyth’s London Core bar, you can “brew” your Irish coffee from a selection of three whiskies, essences including black cardamom and vanilla, and seasonings including long pepper and dark chocolate. Or just keep it classic. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.