Irish Coffee

I will take any excuse to have an Irish Coffee and will not reserve this delightful cocktail for just St. Patrick's Day. I love this cocktail so much that I purchased special glasses to serve it in. This is a coffee that will warm you from the inside out. Mine is spiked with Jameson but any Irish Whiskey will do.

Weaver's Coffee and Tea write, "The Irish Coffee was created in the winter of 1943 by Joe Sheridan, chef at Foynes Port near Limerick. Foynes was an airbase for transatlantic flights at the time that often carried political or Hollywood figures. The airbase was usually just a stopover for longer flights to refuel and often due to weather passengers would need to stay for the night. One evening, a particular flight had to turn back to Foynes midway through its journey. Joe Sheridan, feeling empathy for these cold and weary passengers decided to whip up something special for them to drink. The story goes that a silence descended into space as everyone enjoyed this delectable concoction."

This was the birth of Irish Coffee! My guess is after two or three coffees, passengers forgot why they were there. Irish Coffee has been known to induce babbling, generous hugs for strangers, and off-key sean-nós (singing). I've witnessed "round shoes" (where you can't stand up or walk straight) from Irish Coffee. It affects everyone differently and depends on the number of delightfuls (This is what my Mother-in-Law use to call them) you've consumed.

Let's make an Irish Coffee, you'll need:

Irish Coffee Glass (any steamed glass will do)

4 oz strong hot coffee

2 oz. Irish Whiskey or Jameson (a little more or a little less)

Whipped Cream to top the drink

Green Sugar

Sugar for coffee (optional)

The key to keeping your drink warm and is to heat the glass with hot water and empty it before you fill it. When pouring the hot coffee into the glass, put a metal spoon in the glass. Do not pour directly into the glass but onto the spoon. This will deflect the heat away from the glass and avoid cracking it. At this point, if you want to sweeten the coffee, you can add sugar or Splenda. The sweetness from the whipped cream on top and the decorative sugar is sweet enough for me. This is an individual taste thing and you can add more or less whiskey (no one will judge).

Top your Irish Coffee with colored green sugar before serving for a beautiful presentation.

"May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!" Or for this recipe an Irish Coffee.

Enjoy