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Irish coffee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the other uses, seeIrish Coffee (disambiguation).
Irish Coffee
IBA official cocktail
Traditional Irish coffee
TypeMixed drink
Base spirit
ServedHot
Standard drinkware
Irish coffeemug
IBAspecified
ingredients†
PreparationPour the coffee into a preheated glass, add whiskey and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Pour cream slowly to form a distinct layer.
†Irish Coffee recipeatInternational Bartenders Association

Irish coffee(Irish:caife Gaelach) is acaffeinated alcoholic drinkconsisting ofIrish whiskey,hotcoffeeandsugar,which has been stirred and topped withcream(sometimescream liqueur). The coffee is drunk through the cream.

Origin

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Different variations of coffee cocktails pre-date the now-classic Irish coffee by at least 100 years.

From the mid-19th century, thePharisäerand theFiakerwere served inViennese coffee houses;both were coffee cocktails served in glass, topped with whipped cream. The former was also known in northernGermanyandDenmarkaround that time. Around 1900, the coffee cocktail menu in the Viennese cafés also includedKaisermelange,Maria Theresia,Biedermeier-Kaffeeand a handful of other variations on the theme.[citation needed]

In 19th-century France, a mixture of coffee and spirits was called agloria.

Several places claim to have developed the modern recipe in the 1950s. One version is attributed to a Joe Sheridan, headchefat the restaurant and coffee shop in theFoynes Airbase[1][2]flying boatterminal (about 15 kilometres or 9.3 miles from present-dayShannon Airport,County Clare).[3]In 1942 or 1943,[4][5]he addedwhiskeyto the coffee of some disembarking passengers.[6][3][7]

Stanton Delaplane,a travel writer for theSan Francisco Chronicle,maintains he brought Irish coffee to theUnited Statesafter drinking it at Shannon Airport. His version is that he worked with theBuena Vista CafeinSan Franciscoto start serving it on November 10, 1952.[8][9][10]Sheridan later emigrated to work at the Buena Vista Cafe.[11]

Preparation

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One method of adding the cream
Gently running the cream over the back of a spoon

Irish whiskeyand at least one level teaspoon of sugar are poured over black coffee and stirred in until fully dissolved.[12]Thick cream is carefully poured over the back of a spoon initially held just above the surface of the coffee and gradually raised a little until the entire layer is floated.[13]

Variations

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In 1988, theNational Standards Authority of Irelandpublished Irish Standard I.S. 417: Irish Coffee. The standard has been cancelled at least as of 2020.[a]

Althoughwhiskey,coffeeandcreamare the basic ingredients in all Irish coffee, there are variations in preparation: the choice of coffee and the methods used for brewing it differ significantly. The use ofespressomachines or fully automatic coffee brewers is now typical: the coffee is either acaffè americano(espresso diluted with hot water) or some kind of filter coffee, often made using acoffee capsule.

The cream used in some bars to make what is sold as "Irish coffee" is sometimes sprayed from a can. Some bartenders gently shake fresh cream to achieve a smooth layer on top of the coffee.[citation needed]

InSpain,Irish coffee (café irlandés) is sometimes served with a bottom layer of whiskey, a separate coffee layer, and a layer of cream on top;[15]special devices are sold for making it.

Some bars inSoutheast Asiaserve a cocktail of iced coffee and whiskey, sometimes without cream, under the name "Irish coffee".

Many drinks of hot coffee with adistilled spirit,and cream floated on top—liqueur coffees—are given names derived from Irish coffee, although the names are not standardised. Irish cream coffee (also known asBaileyscoffee) can be considered a variant of Irish coffee, but involves the use ofIrish creamas a "pre-mixed" substitute for the whisky, cream and sugar. Jamaican coffee would be expected to be made withrum;Highland coffee, also called Gaelic coffee, withScotch whisky;Russian coffee withvodka;[16]Mexican coffee withtequila,and so on, and so forth.

Irish coffee in film

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  • In the 1968 filmThe Love Bug,Peter Thorndyke and Tennessee Steinmetz meet one night and drink Irish coffee while discussingHerbieand Jim Douglas. Thorndyke then pours some into Herbie's gas tank, causing the car to spin out and stall the next day.
  • In the 1968 filmYours, Mine and Ours,after dinner atGhirardelli Square,Frank Beardsley and Helen North visit a crowded Irish coffee house, where their first date together begins to go horribly awry. After various mishaps, they ultimately leave after Helen, trying to keep Frank's friend and fellow naval officer Darrell Harrison from revealing that she has eight children, makes a waitress crash into him and pour and entire tray of Irish coffee onto him.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^The standard can be obtained from Standards IE.[14]

References

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  1. ^Coyle, Cathal (1 December 2014).Little Book of Tyrone.The History Press.ISBN9780750962841– via Google Books.
  2. ^"The War Room - Foynes Flying Boat Base".skynet.ie.Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2017.Retrieved12 January2018.
  3. ^abOur Irish Coffee Heritage,Foynes Flying Boat Museum, archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2011.
  4. ^Joseph, Peter (12 January 2018).Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking.Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN9781589796782– via Google Books.
  5. ^"Irish Coffee Festival".15 February 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2003.Retrieved6 September2020.
  6. ^"Irish Coffee",European Cuisines.
  7. ^"Foynes Irish Coffee Centre".Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum.Archived fromthe originalon 12 January 2018.Retrieved12 January2018.
  8. ^Nolte, Carl (22 November 2006)."San Francisco: Coffee, cream, sugar and — Irish whiskey... but Buena Vista changed brands".San Francisco Chronicle.SF Gate.Retrieved9 July2007.
  9. ^Nolte, Carl (9 November 2008)."The man who brought Irish coffee to America".San Francisco Chronicle.SF Gate.
  10. ^King, John (9 November 2008)."SF bar celebrates 56 years of Irish coffee".San Francisco Chronicle.SF Gate.
  11. ^"Foynes Flying Boat Museum".16 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2011.
  12. ^"Joe Sheridan's Original Irish Coffee Recipe".CoffeeCakes.Retrieved9 July2007.The sugar is essential for floating liquid cream on top
  13. ^"Traditional Irish Coffee Recipe".Good food Ireland. Archived fromthe originalon 25 November 2009.Retrieved8 December2009.
  14. ^Standards,IE.
  15. ^"Recipes",Gastronomia vasca,archived fromthe originalon 4 October 2003.
  16. ^"Russian coffee".DeLonghi. 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 8 May 2021.Retrieved9 September2024.
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