In 1971 a team of product developers set out to create a uniquely Irish drink combining Irish cream and whiskey, aimed at the US market and American tastes. Baileys was eventually released in 1974. As of 2003 it was the highest selling liqueur brand in the world. Baileys claims it is the first of the cream liqueurs, and while this is debatable, it is the first of the Irish Cream liqueurs. It became very popular and was soon followed by many other Irish, French, Scottish, rum, tequila, and a slew of other cream liqueurs.

Baileys Irish Cream Original- 17%abv / 34 proof and is very thick and creamy in body. The flavor has a very sweet, thick, vanilla, buttery toffee, whipped cream, malt, hints of coffee and chocolate, egg taste; and leaves a slippery beaten eggy coating on my tongue. It's not bad, but not great.
Baileys Hint of Chocolate Mint- 17%abv / 34 proof - a variation in the Baileys Line released in 2005. More similar to the original Baileys than the Caramel. It tastes like the original was mixed into a milk shake with chocolate mint ice cream, then allowed to melt. It is a bit too candy like for me, with a shiny, sugar syrup aftertaste.

Baileys Hint of Caramel- 17%abv / 34 proof - A new variation in the Baileys line released this year, 2006. It is sort of like regular Baileys with the addition of an overload of cheap, artificial caramel syrup which has a nasty artificial aftertaste. I found it to be horrible, the worst cream liqueur I have tried to date.

An interesting, but completely false urban legend from the 1980's, had students in Belgium and the Netherlands believing that mixing Baileys with tonic was toxic. Supposedly the combination of the two would congeal into a thick mass that would clog up your bowls, leading to a lethal version of constipation.

Baileys can safely be sipped cold, served on the rocks, in cocktails, over ice cream, and in myriad other ways. Although I say it's best served... to someone else. I feel that many of the other cream liqueurs are much better in taste and texture / mouth feel than Baileys.