"irish coffee" news and stories

Happy National Irish Coffee Day!

Irish coffee provides a hearty fix when the regular cup of joe just won't cut it. The black coffee base gets powered by the addition of sugar, a spirited drop of Irish whiskey, and topped with a frothy serving of whipped cream to fuel, comfort and energize the thirstiest of souls. Unique to Irish coffee is that the cream is not mixed into the drink but served as a floating topping, gingerly poured atop the drink over the back of a spoon, so that the alcohol-spiked coffee is tempered by a sweet serving of dairy.

We trust Heidi at 101cookbooks for her tried-and-true Irish coffee recipe, which she describes as "the best pick-me-up cold-weather après-ski drink ever." We'll drink to that.

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It's likely that the brand to pop to mind when talking coffee and liquor is Kahlúa, a Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur that's been around since 1936. Kahlúa's so popular that the name often gets used like Coke, Kleenex and Band-Aid to refer to similar products made by other companies. Some home enthusiasts also post recipes online for "homemade Kahlúa" instead of just saying "homemade coffee liqueur."

Besides the typical suggestion of pouring coffee liqueur over ice cream (isn't everything good on ice cream?), several cocktails call for java spirits, including the White Russian (2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce of coffee liqueur, 1 ounce of cream shaken and served on the rocks). London's legendary barman Dick Bradsell brought us the espresso martini (aka the Pharmaceutical Stimulant or Vodka Espresso) made with coffee, coffee liqueur, vodka, and simple syrup shaken and served up in a cocktail glass.

Then, of course, you can always throw some coffee liqueur into your favorite dessert recipes such as cakes and brownies. The magical combination of chocolate and coffee is hard to resist.

Forget the green beer -- everybody knows that Irish coffee is a much better way to wash down the St. Pat's soda bread and corned beef, right?

At least, as the legend goes, some weary American travelers thought so in 1952, when a bartender in the Shannon Airport whipped up the concoction to warm them after a hard day of difficult wintertime flight. The drink allegedly made its way back stateside through San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe, which still touts it as a specialty of the house.

For starters, the coffee's got to be good. Don't bother ordering one at your run-of-the-mill faux-Irish corner pub -- stick to eateries and bars that you know pride themselves on good coffee. Second, if you're going green for the holiday, you may as well specifically ask for an Irish whiskey -- I go for Powers, but Bushmills also fits the bill. (Of course, what happens outside of St. Patrick's Day stays outside of St. Patrick's Day...)

But what makes the perfect Irish coffee? Read on after the jump to find out.

Many hot drinks, unlike most cold ones, hail from a long line of magical medicinal elixirs. This is true whether you prefer to be healed with or without alcohol.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa and clove -- perennial holiday spices -- pop up in dozens of warming cocktails not just because they are wonderfully aromatic, but because they relieve upset stomachs. Coffees, teas and chocolates are noted for their antioxidants as much as their terrific flavor versatility; you can easily make them extra sweet, spicy or boozy. And whiskey and rum, the usual go-to ingredients in warm cocktails, have long been known to soothe the soul.

The ten hot drinks listed after the jump represent both specific libations and general cocktail categories. Serve in mugs or snifters -- they warm the hands too.

Irish coffee. Photo: LeNell Smothers

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Whiskey and wine consume me as well as I them, but coffee must have captured my heart. Unfortunately, my household move from New York City to Mexico has been held up by the restoration of my antique Faema "Urania" espresso machine. Thank the java gods who inspire rare folks such as the Italian gents at Omnipak Imports in New York to work their magic and lovingly bring back to life such old monster machines. How can I ever serve guests at Casa Cóctel with my dignity intact without a proper machine to make lovely coffee drinks? Coffee is just yet another ingredient in the cocktail pantry.

Sean Muldoon is the mastermind behind the award-winning bar menu of the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. When I say award-winning, I mean they took the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards by storm, with World's Best Drink Selection, World's Best Hotel Bar and World's Best Cocktail Menu. I had my best ever Irish Coffee in this gorgeous historic bar with the sweetheart, Mr. Muldoon, as my host.