Irish Coffee is a hot coffee drink that bears a striking resemblance to a mug of freshly poured Guinness because of the way it layers whiskey-spiked coffee and cream. The drink was invented (as best anyone can say, anyway) by the head chef at Foynes, a now-defunct (replaced by Shannon Airport) in Western Ireland sometime in the 1940s. It was a hit with travelers and was eventually brought to the US by a travel writer working for the San Francisco Chronicle, who pushed it down the road to popularity by getting it on the menu at the Buena Vista bar.
The drink consists of lightly sweetened coffee with a head of whipped cream. The coffee must be sweetened with a bit of sugar to allow the cream to float neatly on top. It is traditionally served in a special Irish coffee mug, like the one pictured, but any glass that allows you to see the layering should do.
Read on for the recipe:
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