IRISH COFFEE

Irish Coffee is a beautiful balance of hot and intense with cold and sweet. The combination of texture, temperature and flavor works so well together to create the perfect after dinner cocktail.

I hadn’t made Irish Coffees at home until very recently but I am excited I finally chose to. The effort to reward ratio is really awesome because you end with a super unique drink by making a pot of coffee and shaking a little bit of cream.

You can make an Irish Coffee super traditional by using only coffee, cream, whiskey and sugar, or you can make it totally your own by adding new flavors or tweaking the recipe so do some experimenting.

Strong brewing methods lend themselves very well to Irish Coffees such as pour-over, french press, or stovetop espresso. However, if drip is all you have thats fine, it will still be a delicious drink just with a slightly lighter body.

Make a Demerara syrup with a 1:1 ratio (by weight) of water and demerara sugar. Gently heat the mixture in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Store the syrup in your fridge for using in other cocktails like a more flavorful daiquiri.

The cream that you will float over the coffee is not a typical cream that holds its form so you can add dollops to desserts. You want it to be pourable but thick and creamy. To prep the cream add about a half a cup of heavy cream and a tiny splash of vanilla extract to a ball jar with a lid or a protein drink shaker. Shake vigorously until the cream thickens but does not hold any shape.

This drink certainly gives a template for adding new flavors and straying from the simple classic recipe so try new things! If you want a bit of spiciness and herbal undertones, try adding a half an ounce or so of amaro to your Irish Coffee. It is not a typical ingredient, nor is it used by the Dead Rabbit Bar in their famous version, but sometimes it adds a nice touch. Adding the nutmeg on top of the cream totally up to you too. Some people feel it takes away from the other simple ingredients so test it out and see what you think.

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

• 4 Oz Dark Coffee
• 1 1/2 Oz Irish Whiskey
• 2/3 Oz Demerara Syrup
• Lightly Whipped Cream
• Grated Nutmeg

Instructions

• Pour hot water into a sturdy glass to bring it up to temperature. (Dump it out when it's time to build the drink).
• Brew some dark coffee. French press tastes great in this drink but any coffee will work.
• Add the Whiskey, Coffee, and Demerara Syrup into your prepared glass.
• Carefully pour about 1/2 an inch of lightly whipped cream so that it floats at the top.
• Add freshly grated nutmeg onto the cream and serve.

Tag me at @mydrinkinghobby when you make this!