4-5 oz of freshly brewed and piping hot coffee
1 teaspoon (or 2 small bar spoons) of brown sugar
2 oz of your favorite Irish Whiskey
And a generous dollop of lightly whipped heavy cream
Now, in the same way that great cocktail bars are going to chill your glass before pouring a drink, we need to flip the script here and heat the glass up by pouring hot water into it while you prep the drink. This will allow you to slowly sip and savor your Irish coffee without it getting cold.
When you’ve got your ingredients ready, pitch the hot water, put your brown sugar in the bottom of the glass, add your whiskey and coffee, then stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the drink is mixed, you’re going to pour your lightly whipped heavy cream over a bar spoon so that it floats right on the top of the drink.
If you think about it, the Irish coffee is just a hotter, more diluted (and caffeinated) take on the Old Fashioned. Spirits? Check. Sugar? Check. Water? Check. Bitters? Well, that’s where the coffee comes in. Later on, Brian gives us two big “DOs” and two big “DON’Ts” for making the perfect Irish coffee, so be sure to stick around for the lightning round.
