A wonderful drink for a cool autumn or cold winter evening is Irish Coffee. But there will be times when you probably do not want to leave the comfort of your home to visit your local coffee shop to buy an Irish Coffee. As it turns out Irish Coffee is not difficult to prepare once your have the correct ingredients. So let’s learn how to make home made Irish Coffee.
What Is Irish Coffee?
Irish Coffee came to be when chef Joe Sheridan at the Foynes airport at Limerick, Ireland served coffee with a shot of Irish whiskey and topped with whipped cream to transatlantic passengers stranded at the airport during bad weather. This was in the 1940s. A travel writer introduced the drink in San Francisco in the 1950s from where it became generally known and consumed. The name came from the chef when a passenger asked him if the coffee was Brazilian coffee and he said it was “Irish Coffee.”
Image Courtesy of Martha Stewart
Ingredients for Your Irish Coffee at Home
For the best Irish Coffee you will want the best ingredients. Colombian Arabica coffee is a good starting point. When choosing an Irish Whiskey brand remember that great Irish Whiskey does not just have pure alcohol but rather flavors and notes similar to how each great coffee has its own distinct tastes, aromas and flavors. Famous and excellent Irish whiskeys include Jamison with vanilla and nut notes, Redbreast with suggestions of dried fruit, marzipan, and spices in the twelve-year-old and notes of berries, chocolate, and hazelnut in the eighteen-year-old. Other top Irish whiskey brands include Bushmills, Green Spot, Powers, and Release. For your whipped cream you will want heavy whipping cream, extract of vanilla, and powdered sugar for the whipped cream and extra brown sugar to add to the coffee and whiskey mixture. Here are the ingredients you will need for each cup of Irish Coffee
- Four to six ounces of brewed dark roast Arabica coffee
- One and a half to two ounces of Irish whiskey
- Two to three tablespoonfuls of heavy whipping cream
- One to two teaspoons of brown sugar
- Two or three drops of vanilla extract
How to Make Irish Coffee at Home
Making Irish Coffee involves brewing coffee, making whipped cream and combining ingredients. All of this should take you less than ten minutes as you do your tasks in parallel. First start brewing your coffee. Then combine your whipped cream ingredients in a bowl and use your mixer to whip the cream until a spoon stuck into the whipped cream stands up. When your coffee is ready add whiskey and brown sugar all in your coffee cup. Then add a layer of whipped cream to the top of the coffee and whiskey mix and you have your home made Irish Coffee!
Is Drinking Coffee with Alcohol a Good Idea?
As stranded transatlantic travelers discovered eighty years ago Irish Coffee is delicious and a nice way to feel warmer on a cold evening. However, one needs to be aware of the issues related to consuming coffee with caffeine along with alcohol. Caffeine is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant. Drinking coffee when consuming alcohol can have the effect of masking how drunk you are becoming. In addition, drinking alcohol can make you feel warmer when you are not actually warmer thus being potentially dangerous if you are in a really cold environment. So, enjoy your home made Irish Coffee but be careful about how much you drink and do not fool yourself into thinking that the warm flush from alcohol is really making your body warmer on a dangerously cold evening!
Is There a Faster Way to Enjoy Irish Coffee?
If your preference is having Irish Coffee ready to consume with out having to go through the preparation you can purchase products like “Irished Up” which is canned Irish coffee which comes premade only needing to be heated. Our preference is to use freshly roasted Colombian Arabica coffee and a good Irish whiskey along with fresh ingredients to create our own home made Irish Coffee.