Ingredients

  • 40ml Irish whiskey
  • 30ml double cream
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • Fill with black coffee

Process Steps

  1. Lightly whip the double cream.
  2. Add brown sugar into an Irish coffee mug.
  3. Add Irish whiskey and hot coffee. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves.
  4. Gently pour the whipped cream over the top of the Irish coffee.
  5. Garnish before serving.

A perfect way to end a dinner, the Irish coffee has long been a host's ultimate trump card. One glance of this sweet, creamy treat will see your guests' faces light up in excitement. Want this reaction too? Simply follow our easy Irish coffee recipe!

Let's get into the recipe...

Mug of Irish coffee

Irish coffee ingredients

  • 40ml Irish whiskey (Tullamore D.E.W whiskey is recommended)
  • 30ml double cream
  • 1 tsp of brown sugar
  • Strong black coffee (to fill)

Irish coffee method

Our simple Irish coffee recipe has just 5 steps for success. Follow these and you can't go wrong...

Step 1

Before we touch the Irish whiskey or coffee, the double cream must be lightly whipped. This freshly whipped cream cannot be too thick, otherwise it will be too heavy to sit on top of the Irish coffee. Whip it lightly, so it's no longer like liquid.

Step 2

Next, take an Irish coffee mug (or heatproof glass) and add the brown sugar to it. Here's when you can add more, if you've got a sweet tooth.

Step 3

Once the brown sugar is in the mug, add Irish whiskey and the hot coffee. Stir this  mixture until the brown sugar has dissolved. This is best done by using a bar spoon, as it's specifically designed for the job!

Step 4

Now, take the whipped cream and gently pour it over the top of the Irish coffee. This is best done using a bar spoon (or normal kitchen spoon) and by carefully pouring the whipped cream onto the back of the spoon. This means that the whipped cream and Irish coffee remain separate.

Step 5

This is an optional step, but you can garnish before serving. Common Irish coffee garnishes include chocolate shavings, coffee beans, cocoa powder, nutmeg, a dusting of cinnamon or even a maraschino cherry. It's down to you! Once garnished (or not), serve up to your guests.

Important considerations

Jameson Irish whiskey Irish coffee

To make the best Irish coffee possible and to really wow your guests, there are some aspects to consider. These include the coffee, whiskey and sugar.

Coffee 

Getting that deep coffee flavour to jump out within an Irish coffee means using good quality coffee. Coffee has such an array of flavours, so optimise the experience for your customers by choosing the coffee wisely. Bad coffee leads to a bad Irish coffee!

Whiskey 

An Irish coffee (unsurprisingly) requires an Irish whiskey. Shocked? Probably not, but it's important to stick to this. Just like coffee, whiskey has a diverse palate of flavours, of which Irish whiskey best suits the Irish coffee. Tullamore D.E.W whiskey is a popular Irish whiskey used for this recipe and our recommendation too! Jameson Irish whiskey is also a great Irish choice. 

Sugar 

Brown sugar is a key ingredient to the classic Irish coffee recipe. There are many new variants on the classic out there that use white sugar cubes, sugar syrup or even maple syrup! Whilst these are nice variations, if you're looking for a tried and tested recipe, stick to the brown granulated sugar!

Fancy some more coffee-related recipes? Take a look at our cold brew coffee and Turkish coffee recipes. 
 

Want to get making Irish coffees professionally? Discover more about the most important ingredient of the Irish coffee... coffee! On our barista course.

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