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A Taste of Ireland: Irish Coffee

by Bridget Haggerty

While Irish coffee made with genuine Irish whiskey has become popular everywhere, many people are surprised to learn that it's a relatively recent invention.

It was created by Joe Sheridan, a chef at Foynes Airbase in Limerick. One winter day in 1943, he was notified of a flight coming in. It had left ten hours earlier, bound for New York, but after five grueling hours of battling a storm, the decision was made to turn back. Thinking ahead, Joe decided the passengers needed something special to warm them up. He brewed dark, rich coffee, splashed in some Irish whiskey and topped each cup off with freshly whipped cream. Supposedly, there was a hushed silence as cups were raised and the brew was tasted for the first time. "Hey Buddy," said a surprised American passenger, "is this Brazilian coffee?" "No," said Mr. Sheridan, "that's Irish Coffee."

Needless to say, the coffee received rave reviews from passengers. In fact, Stanton Delaplane, an international travel writer, enjoyed it so much, he brought the recipe back to Jack Koeppler, a bartender at the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco. They attempted to recreate it, but without success. The cool cream on top kept sinking. Mr. Koeppler returned to Ireland to learn the correct way to make it, and the rest, as they say, is history. What follows is Mr.Sheridan's original recipe. If possible, use Bewleys coffee which is readily available, but don't try to make it at all unless the whiskey is genuine Irish!

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 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.

NOTE: Today, the town of Foynes, along with the Powers Whiskey Company, holds an Irish Coffee Festival every year, usually in July. Visitors can look forward to enjoying a wide range of free family activities, including choosing the Powers World Irish Coffee-making champion.

Resources: The Foynes website. Also, an article by Lianne Bruynell Lopes which was brought to my attention by Demares on Lore of the Celts, an egroups subscription list.

From CoffeeBeanShop: Be sure to read the Irish Coffee writing contest winners, especially the short story by John Kraft. He writes an hilarious account of the first Irish Coffee incident in-flight in God Bless Joe Sheridan.

About Bridget Haggery

By profession, Bridget Haggerty is a freelance advertising copywriter, and she was the judge for our Irish Coffee writing contest. She is also the author of "The Traditional Irish Wedding" which was published in Ireland by Wolfhound Press and in the United States by Irish Books & Media. This book is now out of print, but you can order a used book through Amazo. She is currently working on her next book which will focus on issues about growing up Irish. For many other articles about Ireland, visit Bridget's Web site, Irish Cultures and Customs. Remember to bookmark this site, as you'll lose yourself in Bridget's website!

Article reprinted with permission from author, 17 May 2001.

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