Call us biased, but our favorite St Patrick's Day tradition is a robust Irish coffee. As coffee lovers, we decided to take the holiday classic to the next level this year. Make the most of the ingredients you have with four takes on the Irish coffee that you can easily make from the comfort of your home.
Classic Irish Coffee
For our first recipe, we turned to Amanda Whitt, a brand ambassador for Tamworth Distilling and 2013 Northeast Brewers Cup finalist, for her Irish coffee recipe. While Amanda was happy to share, you might want to keep this easy formula close to the chest!
Ingredients:
- French press coffee
- 2 cubes of sugar (or to taste)
- 1 oz Irish whiskey
- Fresh cream
Instructions:
- Prepare French press coffee (hint: here's a handy how-to)
- Combine coffee with sugar and stir to dissolve
- Add whiskey
- Prepare whipped cream in a cocktail shaker — or its bottle
- Pour cream over the back of a spoon into the cocktail
Iced Irish Coffee
NYC-based Cocktail Enthusiast and Amateur Home Bartender Alex Miller gave us his signature spin on Irish coffee with a chilled rendition perfect for this season's hotter weather. Combining sugar and spice, this sip will keep you coming back, after all, “It ain't a productive day without coffee," says Alex. "So make it cold and make it Irish.”
Ingredients:
- 2 to 4 oz cold brew coffee
- 1 oz Teeling Irish whiskey
- 1 oz cinnamon simple syrup
- 1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Nutmeg (grated)
Instructions:
- Combine cold brew coffee beans, whiskey, cinnamon simple syrup, and Curaçao in a shaker and shake vigorously to combine
- Strain the liquid in a glass over ice
- Prepare whipped cream: Add sugar and cream to a cold metal bowl and whisk to form stiff peaks
- Top drink with whipped cream and grated nutmeg
Vegan Whipped Frozen Irish Coffee
No dairy? No problem. Our icy vegan Irish coffee has all the creaminess you'd expect.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup ice or coffee ice cubes
- 3/4 cups freshly brewed & chilled coffee
- 1 oz Kahlúa
- 2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 1/4 cup oat milk
- A pinch of salt
- Non-dairy Reddi-wip
- Cocoa powder
Instructions:
- Combine coffee ice cubes, chilled coffee, Kahlúa, Jameson Irish Whiskey, oatmilk, and pinch of salt in a blender and blend
- Pour into two chilled glass, top with Reddi-wip and cocoa powder
Luck of the Irish Coffee Cocktail OK, technically this one isn't quite an Irish coffee. But it's got Irish whiskey and coffee, so we'll certainly allow it.
Ingredients:
- 4 oz vermouth
- 4 - 5 dark roast coffee beans (we suggest Red Rooster Nicaragua Paraiso)
- 3 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 1.5 oz Green Chartreuse
Instructions:
- To infuse sweet vermouth with coffee, combine dark roast coffee beans with sweet vermouth in an air-tight jar. Let sit overnight in a refrigerator
- Add ice to a mixing glass and combine Jameson Irish Whiskey, Green Chartreuse, and 1.5 oz coffee-infused sweet vermouth
- Stir until chilled and slightly diluted
- Pour over a single ice cube in a lowball glass
- Garnish with gold leaf (if you’ve got it!)