Irish Coffee

A recipe for Irish Coffee! Strongly brewed coffee is paired with Irish Whiskey and brown sugar, then topped with a thick layer of lightly whipped cream.

Disclaimer: Consume alcoholic beverages at your own risk and liability. This recipe is intended only for those over the age of 21 (in the United States). Please drink responsibly.

Foodie Extravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme from The Nibble into recipes to share with you.

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories is hosting today and chose to celebrate March 17’s National Irish Food Day!

Other foods celebrated in March include noodles, celery, frozen food, pound cake, ranch dressing, spinach, ravioli, paella, Oreo, and cereal.

Irish Coffee

For today’s event, I am sharing a recipe for Irish Coffee! Created in the early 1940s by Joe Sheridan while working at Foynes airbase, this warming drink comes together in less than 10 minutes and only four ingredients. It is especially perfect on a cold and dreary day.

Simply stir together strongly brewed coffee with a bit of brown sugar and whiskey in a warmed glass, then gently top with a layer of lightly whipped cream.

For a little extra garnish, sprinkle the drink with finely grated dark chocolate before serving immediately.

Looking for more coffee-based recipes?

Try my:

• Rüdesheimer Kaffee (Rüdesheim-Style Coffee)
• Chocolate Hazelnut Latte
• Einspänner (Viennese Coffee with Whipped Cream)

A Few Irish Coffee Tips

Pour hot water into the heat-safe glass (I used a footed glass mug), then pour out before adding the whiskey and other ingredients. This will warm the glass and keep the coffee hot longer.

Use freshly brewed, strong coffee. It needs to be hot to dissolve the sugar.

Stir the sugar into the hot coffee until completely dissolved. I personally use dark brown sugar to complement the strong flavor of the coffee. You can also go with light brown sugar, granulated sugar, or a combination of the two. Adjust the amount of sugar more or less as desired.

Whisk the heavy cream just until thickened. It should still be slightly pourable without stiff peaks. I like to whisk the cream by hand, not with a mixer, to have easier control over the texture.

I garnished the Irish Coffee with some grated chocolate. Another option is a little freshly grated nutmeg.

This recipe makes one drink, but the ingredients can easily be doubled for two.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Beef and Smoked Sausage Cabbage Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Colcannon from Sneha’s Recipe
• Colcannon (Irish Potatoes and Cabbage) from Caroline’s Cooking
• Cold Irish Day Cocktail from Our Good Life
• Dublin Coddle – Irish Bacon, Sausage, and Potato Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Dublin Coddle from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Irish Coffee from Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Mushy Peas from Pandemonium Noshery
• Traditional Shepherd’s Pie from Cookaholic Wife

Irish Coffee Recipe

Adapted from Irish Cooking Bible

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5 from 1 vote

Irish Coffee

A recipe for Irish Coffee! Strongly brewed coffee is paired with Irish Whiskey and brown sugar, then topped with a thick layer of lightly whipped cream.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Irish

Keyword beverage, cocktail, coffee, cream, drink, Ireland, irish, whiskey

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) Irish Whiskey
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 6 ounces (177 milliliters) freshly brewed, strong coffee hot
• Grated chocolate or nutmeg for garnish, optional

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until slightly thickened with no more than soft peaks. Set aside.
• Pour hot water into a heat-safe glass mug. Once the mug is warmed, pour the water back out. This will keep the coffee hot longer.
• Pour the whiskey into the warm mug.
• Add the brown sugar.
• Pour in the hot coffee, leaving at least 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) free for the cream.
• Stir until the sugar is dissolved and blended into the coffee.
• Gently pour the cream over the back of a spoon angled down just over the coffee to form a distinct layer on top.
• If desired, garnish with grated chocolate or nutmeg. Serve immediately.