Classic Cocktails · Whiskey Cocktails
Irish Coffee
Cream should remain pourable, not form a stiff whipped peak. Contains dairy. Caffeine does not neutralize alcohol.
- Base spirit
- Whiskey
- Origin
- Foynes, Ireland
- Period
- 1940s
- Creator
- Joe Sheridan
Ingredients
Documented standard recipe
- Irish whiskey50 ml
- Hot coffee120 ml
- Fresh cream, lightly whipped50 ml
- Brown sugar1 barspoon
- Glass
- Heatproof stemmed glass
- Ice
- Hot, without ice
- Garnish
- Lightly whipped cream float
- Technique
- Built
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Prep time
- 6 min
Method
- 01
Warm a heatproof glass with hot water, then empty it.
- 02
Dissolve sugar in hot coffee and add whiskey.
- 03
Float pourable cream slowly over a spoon back.
- 04
Serve without stirring so coffee is sipped through cream.
Tasting Notes
- Aroma
- Coffee, cream and malt
- Finish
- Warm and creamy
- Character
- Irish whiskey and hot coffee beneath a cream layer.
Tasting scores are MIXY editorial assessments.
History & Background
Associated with Joe Sheridan’s service at Foynes, Ireland, in the 1940s. Adaptation at San Francisco’s Buena Vista contributed to international popularity.
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