An IBA Contemporary Classic and one of the most widely recognized hot cocktails, Irish Coffee unites hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar beneath a float of lightly whipped cream. The coffee, whiskey, and sugar are heated together without boiling, then poured into a stemmed glass and crowned with cream that is sipped through rather than stirred. The central pleasure lies in the contrast: warm, bitter coffee below meets cool, rich cream above. Also called Café Irlandais, it sits at a modest 4 percent ABV and is served hot.
Irish Coffee
Café Irlandais
Ingrédients
- Irish Whiskey 1 1/2 oz
- Coffee 8 oz
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Whipped cream 1 tblsp
Instructions
Heat the coffee, whiskey and sugar; do not boil. Pour into glass and top with cream; serve hot.
L'Irish Coffee est un « Contemporary Classic » de l'IBA qui associe café chaud, whiskey irlandais et sucre, nappé d'une couche de crème légèrement fouettée que l'on boit sans remuer. Le contraste entre le café chaud et amer en dessous et la crème fraîche et riche au-dessus est au cœur de l'attrait de cette boisson. C'est l'un des cocktails chauds les plus reconnus au monde.
History & Origins
Irish Coffee was created by chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes Flying Boat Terminal in County Limerick, Ireland, in the early 1940s, reportedly to warm American passengers on a cold winter's night. San Francisco journalist Stanton Delaplane is credited with bringing the recipe to the United States after tasting it at Shannon Airport in 1952, introducing it at the Buena Vista Café. The IBA formally recognizes it as a Contemporary Classic.
Tasting Notes
Aroma: Rich roasted coffee and warm Irish whiskey, with a sweet cream and vanilla note. Palate: Hot and comforting — the whiskey's malt and the coffee's bitterness are tempered by the sugar's sweetness, with the cool, silky cream providing a luxurious counterpoint. Finish: Warming and slightly sweet, with coffee and whiskey lingering long.
Pro Tip
Float the cream by pouring it over the back of a spoon to keep it as a separate layer on top, ensuring it is only lightly whipped — not stiff.
Techniques utilisées
Compare Irish Coffee
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