Decadent Irish Coffee can be made at home in just a few minutes with just 6 ingredients in 5 minutes.
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What is Irish Coffee?
Irish coffee is a hot drink made with strong brewed coffee and Irish whiskey. The caffeinated drink is always topped with lightly whipped cream.
The whiskey sweetens and flavors the hot coffee and the soft whipped cream makes the first sip of this drink completely decadent.
Although its origins are debated, it’s generally attributed in its modern form as invented in Ireland in the mid 20th century.
In the US, it is historically and popularly served at the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, CA.
Irish coffee does contain whiskey, which gives the drink a mildly sweet taste and warming feeling. You can get drunk if you drink a lot of them, even with the caffeine in the coffee.
RELATED: Jameson Cold Brew Irish Whiskey with Cold Foam
Recipe Highlights
- This Irish coffee is made with hot brewed coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar, and homemade whipped cream.
- Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make in seconds using a handheld milk frother.
- Irish coffee is usually served in a small 6 ounce glass, but this recipe makes a 16 ounce drink but still maintains the nice balance of flavors.
RELATED: Irish Cream Cold Brew with Cold Foam
Ingredient Notes
- Irish Whiskey: Jameson Irish Whiskey is used in this recipe but any true Irish whiskey will give this drink the right flavor.
- Brewed coffee: The original Irish coffee is made with a medium roast Colombian coffee blend. You can use any brewed coffee from a coffee machine or a Nespresso.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a light molasses flavor, which enhances the sweetness of the Irish whiskey. You can also use regular white sugar.
- Heavy cream: This is the key to making any cold foam or whipped cream topping. The cream froths up pretty quickly with a handheld milk frother.
- Vanilla syrup: This flavors and sweetens the whipped cream. Use store-bought or homemade vanilla syrup.
- Sea salt: A pinch of this salt brings out the sweetness in the whipped cream.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together salt, vanilla syrup, and heavy cream. Set aside.
Use a handheld frother to make the whipped cream. Whisk until soft peaks form.
Step 2: Pour hot brewed coffee into a mug. Stir in brown sugar.
Step 3: Add Irish whiskey.
Step 4: Top with soft whipped cream.
Using a Nespresso
This Irish coffee recipe makes a 16 ounce drink, which will require 2 Vertuo coffee/mug capsules (7.7 ounce each).
To use just 1 coffee capsule, half the recipe to make an 8-9 ounce drink.
Any Nespresso coffee capsule can be used, but the Colombia capsules or Starbucks Colombia capsules will make the drink taste more like the original, which uses a Colombian blend.
Expert Tips
- Any kind of coffee will work, but medium or dark roast beans from Colombia will taste closest to what you expect from an Irish coffee.
- Homemade vanilla syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Use a handheld milk frother and be careful not to overwhip the cream. It needs to be firm enough float on top of the coffee but also be soft enough to sip.
- Use heavy cream, and not half & half or non-dairy alternatives, since the fat content in the cream is what allows it to properly whip up.
RELATED: Chocolate Cold Foam
Questions You May Have
An Irish coffee is hot, brewed coffee mixed with Irish whiskey and sugar, and topped with soft whipped cream.
Yes, Irish coffee can’t be made without Irish whiskey. For this recipe, 3 tablespoons of Jameson Irish Whiskey is used and it is 80 proof (or 40% alcohol). This is about 1 ½ shots (45 ml, 1.5 ounce) of whiskey in 11 ounces of coffee.
A true Irish coffee uses whiskey and sugar, but no milk, in the brewed coffee. So using Bailey’s will give the drink a different flavor and consistency, because Bailey’s is whiskey with cream and cocoa.
Related
- Homemade Simple Syrup
- How to Make Cold Foam
- Easy French Vanilla Creamer
- Brown Sugar Iced Coffee
- 15 Starbucks Drinks to Make with Your Nespresso
- Vietnamese Coffee
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Irish Coffee
INGREDIENTS
Irish Coffee
- 1 ⅓ cup hot brewed coffee
- 3 tablespoon Irish whiskey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Soft Whipped Cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- 1 pinch sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together salt, vanilla syrup, and heavy cream. Set aside.Whisk until soft peaks form, about 20 seconds using a handheld milk frother. Don't over whip.
- Pour hot brewed coffee into a mug. Stir in brown sugar.Make sure mug is large enough for 16 ounce drink plus whipped topping. Stir until brown sugar completely dissolves.
- Add Irish whiskey. Top drink with soft whipped cream.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- Jameson Irish Whiskey is used in this recipe but any true Irish whiskey will give this drink the right flavor.
- The original Irish coffee is made with a medium roast Colombian coffee blend.
- This Irish coffee recipe makes a 16 ounce drink, which will require 2 Vertuo coffee/mug capsules (7.7 ounce each). To use just 1 coffee capsule, half the recipe to make an 8-9 ounce drink.
- Instead of brown sugar, you can also use regular white sugar.
- Homemade vanilla syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Be careful not to overwhip the cream using a handheld milk frother. It needs to be firm enough float on top of the coffee but also be soft enough to sip.