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Indulge in richness: Uncover the best Irish Coffee recipes you need to try today!

It’s National Irish Coffee Day. What better time to indulge in the simple yet overwhelmingly sweet and rich drink. Here’s how to make your own to celebrate.

Simple recipe to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day

Irish coffee was invented roughly 80 years ago, and those who arrived at the airport in Foynes, Ireland were treated to the overwhelmingly sweet and rich drink created by Chef and bartender Joe Sheridan. Irish coffee perhaps would’ve stayed on as a comfort drink for transatlantic travelers arriving on the Emerald Isle at its new home across the Shannon estuary at what is now the Shannon International Airport had it not been for one certain traveler.

Stan Delaplane, a famous journalist, landed in 1951 at the new airport in Rineanna, where Sheridan and crew had moved to, and was served the traditional welcoming beverage. He became enamored with it. So much so that when he returned to San Francisco he shared the tale of the drink with his friend Jack Koeppler, owner of the Buena Vista.

Try as they could, the staff at the now famous establishment could not reproduce the true experience of an authentic Irish coffee. But every problem has a solution, Koeppler offered Sheridan a job at the Buena Vista in 1952 and thus the indulgent beverage went global. And now every January 25th, the beverage made of sweetened hot coffee, spiked with Irish whiskey and topped with whipped cream is celebrated on National Irish Coffee Day.

While you could go out to your local establishment to partake of an Irish coffee, you can also enjoy one at home if the weather outside is frightful, as it often is this time of year. The recipe is simple, but in order to avoid the problems that were encountered early on at Buena Vista necessitating bringing over Sheridan here are a few tips from experts to make yours a truly pleasurable experience to warm your body and soul.

The best Irish Coffee recipes

Cream as rich as Irish brogue; coffee, strong as a friendly hand; sugar, sweet as the tongue of a rogue; and whiskey, smooth as the wit of the land,” reads Joe Sheridan’s recipe as shared by Anders Erickson, professional mixologist for over 20 years. He points out that Sheridan didn’t give the exact measures to recreate his invention but merely a grocery list.

While most may think of Irish coffee as a warm drink, Erickson also provides a cold brew version for those in much warmer climes that don’t need “a hot drink that’s gonna warm your bitter soul in the depths of an icy cold winter.”

Ingredients for an Irish coffee:

  • 1 – 1.5 ounce Irish whiskey 
  • 1/8 – 1/4 ounces sugar (1 cube of sugar, brown preferable)
  • 3 – 4  ounces coffee (use fresh coffee not old, and the darker the better with whiskey)
  • 2 tablespoons whipped cream 

Many recommend adding a bit of vanilla to bring out the vanilla flavors which are present in the whiskey.

While you could choose to go without the sugar, it balances the bitterness of the coffee. You can also replace the sugar with simple syrup or natural maple syrup, the latter’s flavors “play beautifully with the coffee and whiskey,” says the Cookie and Kate blog.

You’ll want to use real whipped cream if possible, for richer flavor on the palate and you can control the amount of sugar as well. If your cream is more liquid, pour it over a spoon or spatula when adding it to your Irish coffee to help it stay at the top of the drink as a garnish.

You can also decorate the whipped cream with a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg or chocolate shavings.

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