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Author:
Franco Salzillo
The Irish coffee is the most famous boozy coffee specialty in the world. And although the recipe calls for a splash of Irish whiskey, fear not, it’s hard to get wasted on this sweet specialty.
There’s a lot of tradition behind Irish coffee. It has been around for ages, and it’s still popular, not only because it’s rich, flavorful, boozy and frothy but also because it keeps you warm. Yes, Irish coffee is one of the best alternatives for chilly evenings.
To make a traditional Irish coffee, you need coffee, of course. You can use a few espresso shots for this one, but you can also use filter, drip or pod coffee. In this case, the type of coffee is not all that important as long as it’s strong and not too charred and bitter. I enjoy using medium “city” roast Arabica for these types of drinks, but it’s hard to get it wrong with anything else.
You’ll also need Irish whiskey and get the real deal. Of course, you could use any other brown spirit, from Scotch to rum, but you’ll have to call your coffee something else! Top your Irish coffee with whipped cream and garnish it with powdered cinnamon or cocoa.
To make this specialty, you must work fast, as you want the coffee nice and hot. The rest happens in the serving cup. Build the drink by pouring the coffee, Irish whiskey and cream. Then top it all with whipped cream.
I enjoy sweetening the coffee before making the drink, just so that you don’t have to adjust the sweetness later.
Serve Irish coffee with a slice of coffee cake or biscuits. Nothing too sweet. You only need a nice companion to enjoy such a flavorful and creamy coffee drink.
Now, for a few fun substitutions, use Baileys Irish Cream instead of whiskey for a more generous and rewarding drink. You can also add a splash of coffee liqueur to the mix for a more intense drink. Really, experiment with different liqueurs and spirits and make your own version of the winter specialty!
Brew the coffee, either drip, percolator, filter or even a long espresso.
Dissolve the brown sugar in the coffee.
Pour the Irish whiskey into the serving cup and top it with the sweetened coffee and cream.
Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.
