- 40 ml1.25 ozIrish whiskey
- 90 ml3 ozhot coffee
- 2 barspoonsbrown sugar
- 20 ml0.75 ozheavy cream, lightly whipped
Garnish: floated cream
- Method
- Built
- Strength
- ~10% ABV
- Difficulty
- ●●●
Method
- Warm a heatproof glass or mug with hot water, then empty it.
- Add the brown sugar and hot coffee and stir to dissolve.
- Pour in the whiskey and stir again.
- Float the lightly whipped cream gently over the top without stirring it in.
The story
A chef at a small Irish airport came up with this for cold, weary transatlantic travelers in the 1940s, and an American travel writer carried the recipe home and made it famous. The float of cream on top, not stirred in, is what separates a real one from a lazy one.
Flavour
Quick answers
Irish Coffee questions
How do you make a Irish Coffee?
Warm a heatproof glass or mug with hot water, then empty it. Add the brown sugar and hot coffee and stir to dissolve. Pour in the whiskey and stir again. Float the lightly whipped cream gently over the top without stirring it in. You need 40 ml (1.25 oz) Irish whiskey, 90 ml (3 oz) hot coffee, 2 barspoons brown sugar and 20 ml (0.75 oz) heavy cream, lightly whipped.
What's in a Irish Coffee?
Irish whiskey, hot coffee, brown sugar and heavy cream, lightly whipped, garnished with floated cream.
Is a Irish Coffee shaken or stirred?
Built. It is built straight in the glass.
What glass is a Irish Coffee served in?
A mug, with no ice.
How strong is a Irish Coffee?
About 10% ABV once it is diluted, on the lighter side for a cocktail.
Barback: 100 Cocktails
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