Irish Coffee Day: January 25

Counties of Ireland

January 25, National Irish Coffee Day, begins National Irish Coffee Week – an entire week to celebrate this wonderfully warm rich coffee drink. As with many food and beverage holidays, the holiday origins are sketchy, but the origin of the first Irish Coffee is well documented.

The first Irish Coffee (Caife Gaelach in Gaelic) is generally attributed to Joseph Sheridan, head chief at the restaurant located at the Foynes Terminal, County Limerick, Ireland. And, yes, there is a story attached to the creation of this deliciously warming drink.

It was a dark and stormy night…..

The wind was howling…..

All right, enough drama……

Late one evening in the winter of 1943, a flight left Foynes bound for Newfoundland. After flying for several hours in poor weather conditions, the pilot decided to return to the Foynes Terminal to wait out the bad weather. When the plane landed the passengers were ushered into the terminal restaurant for hot food and drink.

When asked to prepare something warm for the thoroughly chilled passengers, Chef Sheridan decided to add some good Irish whisky to their coffees. One of the passengers later approached the Chef to thank him for the wonderful coffee, asking if the Chef had used Brazilian coffee.  Chef Sheridan then answered, “No, that was Irish Coffee!”

A few weeks later, Chef Sheridan showed the airport manager this new drink in a stemmed glass asking about the eye appeal. The airport manager called him a genius, and Irish Coffee has been served from that time on. 

Irish Coffee arrived in the Unites States when Chef Sheridan introduced it to San Francisco’s Buena Vista Café, now world famous for its Irish Coffees. This café is noted as selling more Irish coffees every day than anywhere else in the world.

A plaque honoring Chef Sheridan’s  achievement can be seen outside the Joe Sheridan Cafe Bar in Shannon International Airport - now the new gateway to the southwest of Ireland. Every summer, the people of Foynes celebrate the Irish Coffee Festival with parades, a carnival, traditional Irish music and the World Irish Coffee Championship.  Waiters, waitresses, and bartenders from all four corners of the world vie for the title of World Irish Coffee Making Champion.

Let’s celebrate with a few good recipes for Irish Coffee.

Chef Sheridan’s Original Irish Coffee Recipe – courtesy of Foynes

1. Place a spoon inside a stemmed whiskey glass. Heat both by filling the glass with boiling water for five seconds, leaving the heated spoon in the glass.
2. Pour a shot of Irish whiskey into the glass. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar.
3. Fill the glass to about a half inch below the rim with very hot, strong black coffee. Mix with the heated spoon to ensure the sugar melts completely.
4. Now comes the tricky part. Carefully pour fresh cream over the back of the heated spoon so that it floats on top of the coffee. Pouring the cream over the back of the spoon adds a bit of fluffiness.
5. Do not mix. Enjoy the beverage by sipping it through the layer of cream.

Irish Coffee Recipe - courtesy of the Buena Vista Cafe

1. Fill glass with hot water to pre-heat it.
2. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full.
3. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Blend in Irish Whiskey.
5. Top with a collar of slightly whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over a spoon. Enjoy while piping hot.

An Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee - based on The Buena Vista Cafe recipe

1. Fill glass with hot water to pre-heat it.
2. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full.
3. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Blend in 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract.
5. Top with a collar of slightly whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over a spoon. Sprinkle ground cinnamon gently over the cream. Enjoy while piping hot.

Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee - courtesy of Return to the Green

1. Start by brewing your coffee in a French Press press or drip machine.
2. Fill stemmed glass with hot water to pre-heat it.
3. While the coffee is brewing, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons Irish Cream syrup in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer (either hand or stand), beat until the cream just starts to thicken.
4. Once the coffee has finished brewing, empty the hot water from your stemmed glass and put 1 tablespoon of Irish Cream syrup in the empty glass.
5. Pour in the coffee and add 2 teaspoons light brown sugar (OR 2 teaspoons table sugar and 1 teaspoon molasses, stirring to dissolve.
6. Carefully add the whipped cream to the top of the drink, and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite Irish Coffee recipe? Share it below! We'd love to hear about it.....

Slainte  (Gaelic for “Cheers”)

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