Irish coffee
Photo: David Jackmanson · CC BY 2.0

History

Irish coffee was formalised by chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes flying-boat terminal in Co Limerick in 1942, serving a hot coffee with Irish whiskey to American passengers diverted by Atlantic weather. Stanton Delaplane took the recipe to the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco in 1952, where it became the city's signature drink. Every traditional Dublin pub now serves a version; the Brazen Head, Davy Byrnes and The Palace Bar pour the city's references.

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Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-on 5 minTotal 5 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp soft brown sugar
  • 50ml Jameson Black Barrel or Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey
  • 150ml strong hot black coffee
  • 30ml double cream, whipped to a soft pourable consistency
  • A heat-proof footed glass

Method

  1. Warm the glass by filling with boiling water; discard the water before assembling.
  2. Add the brown sugar to the warm glass.
  3. Pour the whiskey over the sugar; stir to dissolve.
  4. Top up with the hot coffee, leaving 2cm at the top.
  5. Pour the softly whipped cream slowly over the back of a teaspoon held just above the surface; the cream should float as a thick layer.
  6. Do not stir; drink the hot coffee through the cold cream layer.

Tip from the editors. The cream must be soft enough to pour but thick enough to float; whip just past liquid stage. Never stir after pouring the cream.

Where to eat irish coffee

Irish coffee in Dublin

The Brazen Head ★ 4.4

€€€ Cocktail barTraditional pubThe Liberties

The Brazen Head on Bridge Street Lower in Dublin 8, established 1198 as Ireland's oldest pub, the present 1754 coaching inn serves Irish stew and trad.

DrinkGuinness with an Irish stew

FoodFull Irish pub kitchen, food to 21:00

TipFood served until 21:00 daily; nightly trad music sessions from 21:00. The back snug holds eight; the courtyard runs summer only.

Directions

Davy Byrnes ★ 4.3

€€€ Cocktail barTraditional pubSouth City Centre

Davy Byrnes on Duke Street in Dublin 2, the moral pub since 1798, the Joycean Bloomsday stop for a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy.

DrinkBurgundy with a Gorgonzola sandwich

FoodIrish seafood and pub plates

TipBloomsday on 16 June fills before 11:00; the back room sits forty. Seafood plates run all day.

Directions

The Palace Bar ★ 4.4

€€€ Cocktail barTraditional pubTemple Bar

The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin 2, a Victorian pub since 1843, the literary watering hole of the Irish Times pressroom, with a hundred-bottle.

DrinkIrish whiskey neat

FoodToasties only

TipThree rooms; the upstairs parlour is the whiskey room. Tasting flights of three for €18 Tuesday and Wednesday.

Directions

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Irish coffee in San Francisco

The Buena Vista Cafe ★ 4.4

$ Café

The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco is the Hyde Street corner where Jack Koeppler perfected the American Irish coffee in 1952, pouring 2,000 of them a day.

DrinkIrish coffee

TipSit at the long bar to watch the line of pre-warmed glasses come down; the back tables miss the show.

Directions Book

Tosca Cafe ★ 4.3

$$$ Cocktail barCocktail bar and restaurant

Tosca Cafe in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian American room since 1919, reopened by April Bloomfield in 2013 with a Roman chicken and the house.

DrinkHouse cappuccino (brandy and chocolate)

FoodItalian American kitchen, full menu

TipSit at the bar for the espresso machine theatre; the roast chicken takes 40 minutes, order it first.

Directions Book

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