Video about Irish Coffee on my YouTube channel.
On January 25th, we celebrate Irish Coffee Day.
The concept of adding sugar, alcohol, and cream to hot coffee dates back to the 19th century.
By the mid-19th century, Viennese coffeehouses were already serving coffee cocktails with various spirits, and by the early 20th century, their menu boasted a dozen variations. Around the same time, in France, a drink called Gloria, a mix of coffee and strong alcohol, gained considerable popularity.
However, the modern cocktail of Irish whiskey, coffee, and cream—now loved worldwide and officially recognized as a “Contemporary Classic” by the International Bartenders Association (IBA)—was invented in Ireland in 1943, with some help from the aviation industry.
In 1939, commercial transatlantic flights were introduced. At the time, large flying boats were used for these journeys. Since these aircraft could only carry enough fuel to cross the Atlantic, the European terminal needed to be as close to America as possible and have a suitable port. The ideal location was Foynes, a small harbor on the Irish coast.
Later, with the development of larger planes capable of using land runways, the airport moved 15 kilometers inland to Shannon. However, in 1943—the year of Irish Coffee’s creation—all transatlantic flights still operated out of Foynes.
On a one stormy day in 1943, a Pan American flight departed Foynes for New York but then had to turn back due to severe weather. Cold and exhausted, the passengers returned to the Foynes terminal.
To help warm them up, Joe Sheridan, the chef at the airport restaurant, prepared coffee with sugar, cream, and a generous splash of whiskey. When one of the passengers asked if it was Brazilian coffee, Sheridan replied, “No—it’s Irish Coffee.”
From that moment, Irish Coffee (Café Gaelach in Irish) became a signature drink at Foynes and later at Shannon.
Irish Coffee was introduced to America by Stanton Delaplane, a writer for the popular San Francisco Chronicle. Delaplane fell in love with the drink when he first tasted it in Foynes during a visit to Europe. In 1952, he wrote several articles about Irish Coffee, spreading its fame, and shared his enthusiasm with Jack Koeppler, the owner of the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco.
Determined to recreate the authentic flavor, Delaplane and Koeppler worked tirelessly to perfect the recipe. They experimented with various methods and ingredients but struggled to achieve the exact taste. Eventually, Koeppler decided to flew to Ireland to consult Joe Sheridan, the creator of Irish Coffee. Sheridan, impressed by their dedication, agreed to help bring the drink to America. He even traveled to San Francisco himself , and eventually settled there. So, the Buena Vista Café became the birthplace of Irish Coffee on American soil.
This is the most widely accepted version of how Irish Coffee gained international recognition. However, like with most good stories, there are those who question its details. Some suggest that Sheridan might not have invented Irish Coffee entirely on his own, and may have borrowed the idea from a café in Dublin. Others speculate that Delaplane and Koeppler was not two who truly brought Irish Coffee to the United States.
It’s true that recipes for Irish Coffee had appeared in New York a few years before Koeppler began working on the cocktail, but they never gained much attention. So joined forces of Sheridan, Delaplane, and Koeppler paved the way for Irish Coffee’s enduring popularity.
Recipe according to IBA.
Ingredients:
-1 2/3 oz/50 ml Irish Whiskey
-4 oz/120 ml Hot Coffee
-1 2/3 oz/50 ml Fresh Cream (chilled)
-1 teaspoon Sugar
Process:
Pour hot coffee into a preheated glass. Add sugar and whiskey and stir until dissolved. Carefully pour thick cream on top of the coffee using the back of the spoon. The lair of the cream should float on the coffee without mixing. The cream can be wisped gently before pouring.
Drinkware:
Irish Coffee mug
Of course, there are numerous variations of Irish coffee, where Irish whiskey is replaced with another spirit:
Highland Coffee – with scotch
Jamaican Coffee – with rum
Amaretto Coffee – with Amaretto
Bavarian Coffee – with schnapps and coffee liqueur
Café Amore – with Amaretto and brandy
Calypso Coffee – with coffee liqueur and dark rum
Mexican Coffee – with coffee liqueur and tequila
Royal Coffee – with cognac
Spanish Coffee – with coffee liqueur and rum
Turkish coffee – with vodka and cardamon
Russian Coffee – with vodka
Bailey’s coffee – with Baileys
And so on, and so on…
However, I personally prefer old good Irish Coffee.
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