Irish coffee
Hot, sweetened coffee with Irish whiskey, under a layer of lightly whipped cream that is floated on top and never stirred in.
Ireland · French press · Hot · Medium
- Coffee
- 9 g
- Water
- 120 ml
- Milk
- 30 ml
- Ratio
- About 1 : 13
- Temperature
- About 94 °C
- Time
- 8 min
- Caffeine
- About 55 mg
About 94 °C, just off the boil.
Dark roast, coarse grind- Lightly whipped cream 40 ml
- Coffee, sugar, and whiskey 140 ml
Ingredients
- 9 gGround coffeecoarse, for a French press; any strong brewed coffee works
- 120 mlWaterjust off the boil
- 8 gBrown sugar
- 40 mlIrish whiskey
- 30 mlCreamwhipping cream, cold
Method
Brew strong coffee: 9 g of coffee with 120 ml of water just off the boil in a French press, steeped for 4 minutes and pressed.
Steep4:00Warm a stemmed, heatproof glass with hot water, then empty it.
Stir the brown sugar into about 100 ml of the hot coffee in the glass until it dissolves, then add the whiskey.
Whip the cream until it thickens but still pours, or shake it in a closed jar for 20 to 30 seconds.
Whip0:25Pour the cream slowly over the back of a warm spoon so it floats in a layer about 1.5 cm deep. Do not stir.
Tips
- Whip the cream only until it thickens and holds a soft trail; stiff cream sits like a lid, and thin cream sinks.
- The sugar matters: it makes the coffee dense enough to hold the cream on top.
- It still carries about 55 mg of caffeine, a little over half a cup of filter coffee.
About this drink
Irish coffee was first served in the 1940s at the flying-boat terminal at Foynes, on the west coast of Ireland, to passengers coming off cold transatlantic flights. The Buena Vista Café in San Francisco later made it famous in the United States. It is hot, sweetened coffee with Irish whiskey and a layer of cold, lightly whipped cream, drunk through the cream.
