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Creamy, rich and warm this traditional Irish Coffee is sure to put you in the spirit for St Patrick’s day!

I know St Patrick’s Day isn’t an official holiday but with the attention and love it gets, you’d think it was. The middle of March is a special time for me, with my birthday falling the day before St Patrick’s Day and meeting my wife the day after St Patrick’s Day I have two excuses to raise a glass!

Creamy, rich and warm this traditional Irish Coffee is sure to put you in the spirit for St Patrick's day!

The famous Irish Coffee is high up on the list of all things perfect for St Patrick’s Day celebrating, just like Guinness and soda bread. Actually I had never tasted an Irish Coffee until a visit to San Francisco with my wife where she insisted that we had to visit The Buena Vista Cafe. They’ve been serving Irish Coffee since the 50’s and to see them still follow the same method is quite the show, making rows upon rows of the drink at the same time. The cafe sits above Fisherman’s Wharf, overlooking the bay and with a cable car stop right outside you don’t have far to stumble if you have one too many, which is completely possible (cough..)

The best drink for St Patrick's Day, Irish Coffee with true Irish Whiskey

My version is just a teeny bit different than the original which uses fresh brewed coffee, brown sugar, Irish Whiskey and cream. For a few weeks now, I’ve been using the new Nespresso by KitchenAid. Being a serious coffee drinker, this machine hasn’t let me down. You have to remember that it’s giving you pure espresso and the choices and various strengths available from Nespresso are fantastic.

This is where I switched my Irish Coffee recipe from regular brewed coffee to a deep, rich espresso. That’s the only change I made and did I feel bad drinking this one after I finished photographing it at 10 in the morning…not one bit. I noticed that floating the cream is a little trickier because of the thick crema from the espresso, but it still stays separated from the coffee just like an Irish Coffee should do. With some of the crazy weather happening right now, this is the perfect drink for keeping warm even if it’s still February!

Here’s some more Irish Coffee recipes to crush on!

Buttercream Blondie- Irish Coffee Cheesecake

Recipe Girl- Irish Coffee Eggnog

Baked Bree- Irish Coffee Blondies

This was not a sponsored post, I just like to share whatever awesome products I use with you and the world! 

 

The best drink for St Patrick's Day, Irish Coffee with true Irish Whiskey

Irish Coffee

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 drink
Calories: 155kcal
Author: foodnessgracious
Creamy, rich and warm this traditional Irish Coffee is sure to put you in the spirit for St Patrick's day!
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup espresso (if you use your KitchenAid Nespresso use the lungo setting)
  • 2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream slightly thickened

Instructions

  • You'll need a glass which will hold 1 cup of liquid.
  • Whisk the heavy cream until it starts to thicken but is still very pourable. Set aside.
  • Add the sugar and whiskey to your glass.
  • Pour the espresso in and gently swirl it to mix the sugar and Whiskey through.
  • Take a teaspoon and turn it upside down placing it directly over the espresso.
  • Slowly pour the cream onto the back of the spoon letting it "float" on the top of the espresso.
  • Serve at once while still hot.

Notes

If you don't have an espresso maker, don't worry. Just substitute the same amount with regular fresh brewed strong coffee.
Recipe slightly adapted from The Buena Vista Cafe

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal