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Irish Coffee
There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying a hot Irish coffee crowned with cream on a cold and rainy autumn afternoon. This mildly sweet coffee speciality with a shot of Irish whisky has a character all of its own. It warms you up inside and spreads a cosy feeling. Read our best tips on this delicious hot drink from the Emerald Isle.
Recipe
How do you make Irish coffee?
It’s easy to serve wonderfully aromatic Irish coffee at home if you have a good recipe. This hot drink only needs a few ingredients:
• Ground coffee
• Whisky
• Sugar
• Cream
You can use a standard coffee machine to make it. According to the traditional Irish recipe, you need to follow the four steps listed below:
Step 1:
Warm the coffee glass by rinsing it out with boiling water to ensure that the Irish coffee stays hot for longer.
Step 2:
Add a teaspoon of brown sugar and about 40 ml of whisky to the warm glass. Stir the mixture well. You could also make the whisky/sugar mix on the hob. Important: the heat will dissolve the sugar, but do not allow the whisky to boil. The alcohol gives Irish coffee its unique note, which would otherwise evaporate if boiled.
Step 3:
Fill the glass with strong filter coffee, leaving about 1 cm from the top. If you don’t have an Irish coffee glass, you can simply pour 250 ml of coffee into an ordinary glass. Stir the mixture again.
Step 4:
Whip 50 ml of unsweetened cream until semi-stiff. Traditionally, you would let the cream slide over the back of a spoon onto the coffee so it swims on top of the hot drink. Important: stop stirring the Irish coffee as soon as you add the cream on top.
What is the best whisky for Irish coffee?
The right whiskey is the centrepiece of a good Irish coffee. It is best to choose a real Irish whiskey. Compared to Scotch whisky, it is significantly softer and less smoky or malty in flavour. The reason for this is the production process: Irish whiskeys are triple-distilled, while Scotch whiskies are only double-distilled. In Scotland, whisky is made with barley dried over a peat fire and malted barley. This is unusual in Ireland. This special mildness of Irish whiskey creates the uniquely harmonious and round flavour of Irish coffee. Whiskey varieties that are traditionally used for Irish coffee include Clontarf Single Malt and Tullamore Dew. Jameson is also considered a typical Irish coffee whiskey.