Irish coffee was invented in — you guessed it — Ireland nearly 80 years ago, when a local chef decided coffee is even better with a little somethin' somethin' (ahem, Irish whiskey) thrown in to take the chill off. The drink's popularity soon spread across the pond, and St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to indulge.
Traditional Irish coffee is made with just a few ingredients: coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey and whipped cream. The first three ingredients are whisked together before a "collar" of whipped cream is carefully poured on top. But if traditional isn't quite your style, you can always add a few twists to your drink with the tasty variations below.
Classic Irish Coffee Recipe
Yield: 1 servingIngredients
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1½ ounces (1 shot) Irish whiskey
- 6 ounces hot coffee
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk heavy cream vigorously until it begins to thicken. Cream should be thick, but still pourable. Set aside. 2. In an Irish coffee glass, combine sugar, whiskey and hot coffee. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Top with a ¾" collar of thickened whipped cream. Serve immediately. Pro Tip: While many tout the power of Irish whiskey, whipped cream is the true key to an authentic Irish coffee. It needs to float on top of the drink in a distinct layer, but still be semi-liquid. To make it happen, whip heavy cream it until it's slightly thickened, but doesn't yet hold peaks. When assembling your drink, make sure the coffee is super hot, as that thick rim of cream will cool it down considerably.Chocolate Irish Coffee
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) heavy cream
- 1½ ounces chocolate syrup, divided
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1½ ounces Irish whiskey
- 6 ounces hot coffee
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk cream vigorously until it begins to thicken. Cream should be thick, but still pourable. Whisk in ½ ounce chocolate syrup until completely combined. Set aside. 2. In an Irish coffee glass, combine remaining chocolate syrup, sugar, whiskey and hot coffee. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Top with a ¾" collar of chocolate whipped cream.Maple Irish Coffee
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) heavy cream
- 1 ounce maple syrup, divided
- 1½ ounces Irish whiskey
- 6 ounces hot coffee
Coffe os good in saint Patrick day in Brazil os Very good
Sounds wonderful!!!!! Can't wait to make them!!!
Like all three. Think I'll have one now.
Fun fact. Traditionally it's made with instant coffee. Because that's all we really used in Ireland until the 90s. It's only recently that coffee has become a thing in a nation of tea drinkers. Also if you leave the spoon in the glass and pour the cream down it, you'll get a nicer head and it will stay on top.
We always sugar rim the mug before adding the whipped cream
Growing up my family had Irish Whisky coffee every Christmas eve We had the traditional version . It was wonderful
All sound delicious!!!
Can I skip the Whiskey?
Thank you for a warm snuggly recipe.
Took down all three for good measure. Love the classic ...