Coffee drinks
Irish Coffee
Made with classic simple syrup · Buena Vista Cafe, San Francisco, 1952
- mug
- none (served up)
- build
Irish Coffee
- 4 oz120 ml hot brewed coffee
- ½ oz15 ml simple syrup (1:1), in place of 2 sugar cubes
- 1½ oz45 ml Irish whiskey (the Buena Vista uses Tullamore D.E.W.)
- Top withTop with heavy cream, lightly whipped until just thick (unsweetened)
- Warm a heatproof glass or mug with hot water, then pour the water out.
- Add the syrup (or two sugar cubes) and the hot coffee, and stir to dissolve.
- Stir in the whiskey, leaving room at the top.
- Pour the lightly whipped cream gently over the back of a spoon so it floats in a layer. Do not stir; drink the coffee through the cream.
Garnish: none (the cream float is the finish)
The syrup
In this recipe
Classic Simple Syrup½ oz15 ml
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated just until the sugar dissolves.
2 cubes ≈ 2 tsp sugar ≈ 1/2 oz of 1:1 syrup.
As printed: 2 sugar cubes (white C&H cubes at the Buena Vista); Punch: or 2 tsp sugar
Or use
Brown Sugar Syrup½ oz15 ml
Brown sugar syrup is packed brown sugar simmered briefly with an equal volume of water.
A popular swap for a deeper, molasses-tinged coffee. Same 1:1 strength, so use 1/2 oz.
As printed: 2 sugar cubes
Or use
Demerara Syrup⅓ oz10 ml
Demerara syrup is demerara sugar dissolved in water, usually rich: 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by weight.
2:1, so 2 tsp (1/3 oz) matches the two cubes; go up to 1/2 oz for a sweeter, Dead Rabbit-style coffee.
As printed: 2 sugar cubes; modern bars (VinePair, Kindred) often use about 1/2 oz 2:1 demerara syrup
Or use
Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)⅓ oz10 ml
Rich simple syrup is two parts sugar to one part water by weight: 400 g sugar dissolved in 200 ml hot water.
2:1, so 2 tsp (1/3 oz) matches the two cubes.
As printed: 2 sugar cubes
Where it comes from
In the early 1940s chef Joe Sheridan served whiskey-laced coffee to travelers at the Foynes flying-boat terminal in Ireland. In 1952 San Francisco travel writer Stanton Delaplane and Buena Vista owner Jack Koeppler recreated it, and it became the bar's signature drink.
Source: Buena Vista Cafe house recipe by The Buena Vista Cafe, San Francisco (1952).
Checked against: Punch – Irish Coffee (Buena Vista) · 7x7 – The Buena Vista Cafe's OG Irish Coffee · CBS News – Recipe: Buena Vista Irish Coffee · Wikipedia – Irish coffee (history only)
Gear for this drink
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Zulay Kitchen 2-in-1 Metal Lemon & Lime Squeezer
Best for Fresh citrus for sours and lemonade
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