🥃 Irish Coffee
A hot cocktail of Irish whiskey, hot coffee and sugar under a layer of chilled cream; legend says it was created in 1943 at Foynes airport in Ireland.
Irish Coffee is a hot cocktail of Irish whiskey, hot black coffee and sugar, topped with a layer of chilled cream. It is drunk through the cream without stirring, so the hot coffee and the cold layer are tasted separately. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) classes the drink as a contemporary classic.
The IBA recipe. Pour 120 ml of hot coffee into a pre-warmed glass, add 50 ml of Irish whiskey and at least a teaspoon of sugar, and stir. Then gently pour 50 ml of chilled cream over the back of a spoon so that it floats on top. The sugar does more than sweeten: it makes the coffee denser, so the cream does not sink.
History. According to legend, in 1943 a Pan Am flying boat was forced back to Foynes airport on the west coast of Ireland by bad weather. Chef Joe Sheridan added Irish whiskey to the coffee to warm the passengers. When asked whether it was Brazilian coffee, he answered that it was Irish. Few documents survive about that night, and some researchers have found similar recipes earlier.
The journey to America. As KQED reports, journalist Stanton Delaplane tasted the drink in Ireland and, with Jack Koeppler, owner of the Buena Vista café in San Francisco, recreated the recipe on 10 November 1952. For a long time they could not make the cream stay on top. Sheridan later went to work at the Buena Vista, which now serves about two thousand portions a day.
Why this matters to you. Coffee wakes you up, but caffeine does not reduce the alcohol in your blood: a 50 ml measure of whiskey remains 50 ml of spirit. Hot drinks are absorbed faster. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Raw material | Irish whiskey, hot coffee, sugar, chilled cream (IBA recipe) |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (% vol.) | depends on proportions; Irish whiskey is at least 40 % vol.; 50 ml per serving |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Irish Coffee → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Made from
- ☕ Coffee, 🥛 Cream, 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Irish Whiskey
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Irish Cream, 🥃 Coffee liqueur
Frequently asked questions
Does the coffee in Irish Coffee cancel out intoxication?
No. Caffeine may mask tiredness, but the alcohol in the blood acts just the same; the IBA portion is 50 ml of whiskey.
What does the IBA recipe call for?
50 ml of Irish whiskey, 120 ml of hot coffee, 50 ml of chilled cream and a teaspoon of sugar.
Who invented Irish Coffee?
According to legend, chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes airport in 1943; there is little documentary proof.
Why doesn't the cream sink?
Sugar makes the coffee denser, and lightly whipped cold cream is poured over the back of a spoon.
How did Irish Coffee reach the United States?
Journalist Stanton Delaplane and Buena Vista owner Jack Koeppler recreated the recipe in San Francisco in November 1952.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🥃 Irish Cream — Liqueur of fresh Irish cream, alcohol and Irish whiskey: from 15% vol., milk fat from 10%; GI of the island of Ireland.
- 🥃 Coffee liqueur — Sweet liqueur made from spirit, coffee infusion and sugar; in the EU at least 15% ABV and 100 g/l sugar; well-known brands are Kahlúa and Tia Maria.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
Similar
🥃 Espresso Martini · 🥃 Hanky Panky · 🥃 Eggnog · 🥃 Caipirinha · 🥃 Daiquiri · 🥃 Dark 'n' Stormy
Sources
- IBA — International Bartenders Association: Irish Coffee (Contemporary Classics): 50 ml Irish whiskey, 120 ml hot coffee, 50 ml fresh cream, 1 tsp sugar; cream floated over the back of a spoon
- KQED: The true history of Irish coffee and its San Francisco origins (Joe Sheridan, Foynes, 1943; Buena Vista, Jack Koeppler and Stanton Delaplane, 10.11.1952; ~2,000 served a day)
- IrishCentral: The real story about Irish Coffee and how it was invented (Pan Am flying boat back to Foynes, 1943; Brendan O'Regan; Delaplane 1951; Sheridan at the Buena Vista from 1952)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)