Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Irish Coffee - a good use for whiskey


I gotta say that I really don't like whiskey. I know, there are some folks who enjoy the stuff, but I've never been one of them. My use for it has always been gargling when I'm sick or as an ingredient in recipes. It just isn't my cup of tea. But it could be my cup of coffee - Irish coffee.

This actually is an Irish creation, which surprised me - as many things labeled such are not. It was created in 1942 to warm up some passengers on a transatlantic flight to New York that had to turn around and come back to Ireland. The drink was so popular with them that the bartender eventually landed a job in San Francisco to share his beverage with the masses. Here is Mr. Joe Sheridan's original recipe for Irish coffee, as found at Irish Culture and Customs:

Ingredients:
Cream - Rich as an Irish Brogue
Coffee - Strong as a Friendly Hand
Sugar - Sweet as the tongue of a Rogue
Whiskey - Smooth as the Wit of the Land.

Method:
Heat a stemmed whiskey goblet
Pour in one jigger of Irish whiskey
Add one spoon of brown sugar. Fill with strong black coffee to within one inch of the brim
Stir to dissolve the sugar. Top off with whipped cream, slightly aerated, by pouring it over the back of a spoon, so that it floats.
Do not stir after adding the cream as the true flavor is obtained by drinking the hot coffee and Irish whiskey through the cream.

3 comments:

Lorraine said...

Yum.

Doralong said...

I want to know who the joker is that decided to start putting creme de menthe on top and ruining a perfectly good drink..

Greyhound Girl said...

another good use for whiskey