Ingredients
- 2 ounces whiskey
- ½ ounce Irish cream
- 1-2 dashes cinnamon bitters
- Hot coffee to top off
- Whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a mug by filling with hot water.
- After mug is warm to touch, pour out the water.
- In mug, add whiskey, Irish cream, and cinnamon bitters.
- Top off with hot coffee.
- Garnish with whipped cream.
Variations and Substitutions
Whether you're out of an ingredient or you're looking to make some changes, consider these.
- Skip cinnamon bitters in favor of walnut, toasted almond, chocolate, or none at all.
- Use a flavored coffee to add flavor without any added sugar.
- For a sweeter Irish cream coffee, add a splash of simple syrup, either plain or flavored.
- Experiment with rye and bourbons.
- Try out different flavors of Irish cream.
- Add a splash of butterscotch schnapps.
- Replace 1 ounce of the whiskey with an ounce of coffee-infused vodka.
Garnishes
- If you don't have whipped cream or it doesn't bring a smile to your face there are plenty of other garnish options.
- Add chocolate shavings or ground cinnamon, as well as nutmeg, on top of the whipped cream.
- Skip the whipped cream entirely.
- Use three whole coffee beans, either on their own or with whipped cream.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice and hot coffee. Shake vigorously for approximately 3-4 minutes until a foam has formed. Use this coffee foam in place of whipped cream.
About the Irish Cream Coffee
Despite its name, the coffee and spirit drink didn't originate in Ireland, as historians believe that the first of its style first appeared in Vienna or France. However, it was an Irish airport that spread the Irish coffee further around the globe. A journalist claims to be the source to launch a thousand ships of Irish coffee to the United States, and the rest is murky history.
While the original Irish coffee didn't call for anything other than whiskey and coffee, over time the cocktail has evolved to include Irish cream. Irish cream, itself made with Irish whiskey, uses cream and other flavors to create a rich liqueur that's great on its own, but adds new life to the old Irish coffee.
A Morning Toast
There's a phrase, no matter where you are in the world, you'll find an Irish bar. While that can be fairly true, what's more likely is you'll always find an Irish cream coffee. Now isn't that a comfort?
