Irish Coffee : the perfect choice for autumn and winter evenings

Coffee has proved to mix very well with alcohol. One of the most popular alcohol and coffee marriages is undoubtedly the well-known Irish Coffee.

Irish Coffee is a combination of coffee, cream and Irish whiskey, and despite its name, it appeared in its current form in San Francisco, USA, in the 1940s, when Buena Vista Bar’s barmen used the habit Irish immigrants had of adding a little whiskey to their coffee to prepare a new recipe. Unlike other combinations of coffee and alcohol such as martini espresso, Irish Coffee keeps the character of coffee - it is a hot drink, ideal for cold mornings or afternoons. The small dose of alcohol makes it even warmer and the contrast of tastes is very interesting. Irish Coffee is the perfect winter coffee!

Of course, there are many variations of Irish Coffee, as every coffee shop and every barista trusts different proportions and slightly different ingredients. A lot of ink has been spilled for choosing the right sugar, the right whiskey brand, but mainly for the texture and density of the cream that crowns the Irish coffee. In the following recipe we have kept the proportions and the ingredients of the recipe that boasts of being authentic, leaving a freedom in choosing the whiskey brand you prefer - as long as it is, of course, Irish.

What do you need for a traditional Irish Coffee?

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 60 ml irish whiskey
• 180 ml hot filter coffee
• 2 tablespoons fullfat cream
• a tall, short-legged glass

How is Irish Coffee prepared?

• Heat the glass, filling it with hot water for a few minutes
• Empty the glass, then put the whiskey and sugar 
• Add the hot filter coffee and mix thoroughly so that the sugar dissolves completely.
• Add the cream (lightly beaten) with careful motions to create a layer of 3-4 cm thick on the surface of the beverage. The cream should not be mixed with the remaining beverage.
• Serve immediately!

Tips for the best Irish Coffee  :

• The glass temperature plays a determining role in the success of the drink, not only because it helps the cream to stand on the surface but also because it emphasizes the "heating" character of the beverage.
• If you do not have a suitable glass for Irish Coffee, you can simply use a large glass of wine.
• The traditional American recipe calls for brown sugar, although there are variations that use conventional white sugar or even glucose syrup.
• Cream is the most difficult process when preparing an authentic Irish Coffee. The cream should be full fat, fresh and cold, otherwise it will not get the right texture and will sink quickly into the coffee. It should not be whipped, but it must be so thick that it creates a layer at the top of the beverage, which does not easily dissolve. Experiment with both the cream you use and the whipping needed, but mainly with the moves with which you place the cream in the coffee: arm yourself with patient and with a special barman spoon!
• If all of this seems too tedious, you can just garnish your coffee with a little whipped cream, but you will not be able to boast that you prepared authentic Irish Coffee!
• You can replace the filter coffee with a double espresso, adding as much water as you need to fill the 180ml. The taste will be quite different, and the result may seem bitter in some palates.
• It is best to choose a sweet, aromatic coffee, medium roasted, ideally 100% Arabica, whose taste easily fits with whiskey. You can choose a classic 100% Arabica blend, such as Hausbrandt's Academia, or even try single origin Arabica coffees such as Buena or Altura by Cosmai Caffe.
• Do not forget that Irish Coffee contains a solid dose of alcohol - so enjoy responsibly!

As the weather slowly gets cold, and friends will start gathering again in homes for coffee, and chatting, Irish Coffee will be the perfect choice: a beverage that hides in it both the aromas of coffee and whiskey, one wintery and warm coffee, a cup that will bring friends around the table a little closer!