Irish Coffee
Irish Coffee is a warm and comforting cocktail that combines rich, freshly brewed coffee with smooth Irish whiskey and a touch of sugar.
- 5 min
- Medium
- Irish coffee cup
- 4 ingredients
Irish Coffee
Ingredients
- Irish whiskey1¾ oz
- Coffee4 oz
- Heavy cream1¾ oz
- Sugar1 tsp
Method
- Warm an Irish coffee cup with hot water, then empty it.
- Pour in the hot black coffee.
- Add the whiskey and sugar, then stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Slowly pour the chilled cream over the back of a spoon so it floats on the coffee. Do not stir.
What you need
Nothing fancy. Here is what to look for. We earn a small cut if you buy through these links, at no cost to you.
A long bar spoon
Long enough to reach the bottom of a tall glass, with a twisted stem.
See on Amazon ↗The hero bottle
See 5 Irish whiskey drinksWhere it comes from
The Irish Coffee's origin story is unusually specific and well-documented. On a cold, miserable night in 1943 at Foynes Airbase (later Shannon Airport) in County Limerick, chef Joe Sheridan was working the restaurant when a Pan Am flying boat bound for New York was forced to turn back due to terrible weather. The passengers, cold and exhausted, trudged back into the terminal. Sheridan added Irish whiskey to their coffee to warm them from the inside out. When one American passenger asked if he was drinking Brazilian coffee, Sheridan replied, "No, that's Irish coffee" — and named the drink on the spot.
The drink remained a local specialty until 1952, when travel writer Stanton Delaplane discovered it at Shannon Airport and brought the recipe to the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco. After weeks of experimentation to perfect the cream float technique — the bartenders discovered that lightly whipping the cream (not to stiff peaks, but to just thickened) was the key — the Buena Vista helped launch Irish Coffee into international fame. The café still serves over 2,000 Irish Coffees daily using Sheridan's original recipe.
The Irish Coffee is now recognised by the IBA as an official cocktail and remains one of the world's most recognisable warm cocktails. Its appeal is timeless: the interplay of hot coffee, Irish whiskey's smoothness, brown sugar's caramel warmth, and the cool cream float creates a sensory experience that is simultaneously comforting and sophisticated.
Tips from the bar
- The cream must be cold and lightly whipped — thick but still very pourable, like the consistency of thick paint. Over-whipped cream sits as foam; under-whipped cream sinks.
- Pour cream slowly over the back of a bar spoon held just above the coffee surface. The spoon disperses the cream gently, allowing it to float rather than sink.
- Pre-heat the Irish coffee glass by filling with hot water for 30 seconds, then discarding. A cold glass cracks under thermal shock and cools the drink immediately.
- Use freshly brewed medium-dark roast coffee at 175–180°F — not boiling, which creates harsh flavours and strips the whiskey's character.
- Stir thoroughly after adding coffee to dissolve all sugar before floating the cream.
Twists worth trying
- Baileys Irish Coffee
- 1 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz Baileys Irish Cream, 6 oz hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar. The Baileys adds richness and sweetness; reduce sugar accordingly. Garnish with a cream float and grated nutmeg.
- Nutty Irishman
- 1 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, 6 oz hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar, cream float. The hazelnut liqueur adds rich nut notes that complement both coffee and whiskey beautifully.
- Mexican Coffee
- 1.5 oz reposado tequila, 1 oz Kahlúa, 6 oz hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar, cream float, and a cinnamon stick garnish. The tequila's agave warmth creates a south-of-the-border take on the template.
- Scotch Coffee
- 1.5 oz blended Scotch whisky, 6 oz hot coffee, 1 tablespoon honey (instead of brown sugar), cream float. The scotch's malty character pairs surprisingly well with coffee, especially darker roasts.
What to eat with it
- Brown butter shortbread or Irish soda bread
- Chocolate cake or tiramisu
- Pecan or walnut tart
- Creamy cheesecake
- Oatcakes with aged cheese
The finished drink
Questions
What is in a Irish Coffee?
A Irish Coffee is made with irish whiskey, coffee, heavy cream, sugar.
What glass do you use for a Irish Coffee?
Serve a Irish Coffee in a irish coffee cup.
What does a Irish Coffee taste like?
Expect rich, creamy, bitter.
What can I make with Irish whiskey?
We have 5 drinks built around Irish whiskey. See them all on the Irish whiskey page.
Spec checked against IBA. Reviewed November 7, 2026
More with Irish whiskey
Every Irish whiskey drink →One good drink, every Friday.
A recipe, a trick and the bottle worth buying next. No spam, and the unsubscribe link actually works.