As the nights are getting longer and the weather is getting a chill in the air, it’s the ideal time to perfect your Irish Coffee recipe. This wonderful boozy pick me up is a favourite post dinner treat for many festive dinner parties. The rich aromas from the coffee, the smooth cream and the delightful spiced and fruity flavours from the Irish Whiskey make the quintessential winter warmer. However, with any cocktail, it can be hard to choose the best spirit. We will walk you through our recommended Irish Whiskeys for an Irish Coffee and what makes them a great choice for this coffee cocktail.
The History of the Irish Coffee
Irish coffee, a delightful blend of coffee, whiskey, sugar, and cream, has an intriguing origin story. It was first created in the 1940s by Joe Sheridan, a chef at the Foynes Airbase in County Limerick, Ireland. The airbase was a key stop for transatlantic flights, and on one particularly cold winter evening, Sheridan decided to create a warming drink for weary passengers. He added a dash of Irish whiskey to the coffee, sweetened it with sugar, and topped it with a layer of rich cream. When asked if the beverage was Brazilian coffee, Sheridan famously replied, “No, it’s Irish coffee.” The drink gained international fame after being brought to the United States by the travel writer Stanton Delaplane, who introduced it to the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco in 1952, where it remains a popular choice to this day.
Within two years, Time magazine reported that Irish whiskey exports to the US were up 40%. And by 1957, it was reported that a Las Vegas hotel was serving more than 1,000 Irish coffees each week after a visiting representative from Córas Tráchtála Teoranta introduced the drink. This organization was dedicated to promoting, assisting, and developing the export of Irish goods on a global scale. That same year, the drink made its debut on the menus of the popular Brown Derby restaurant chain in Los Angeles.
By 1958, the Irish Whiskey Coffee Cocktail had even lent it’s name to a show at the Pike Theatre in Dublin. Irish Coffee was a captivating musical production that blended Irish and West Indian cultures and traditions. It showcased a variety of Trinidadian calypsos and folk songs, seamlessly combined with traditional Irish music and song. Irish Coffee has been characterized as “an all-musical performance highlighting the finest in Irish and West Indian singing and dancing.”
Irish Coffee become intertwined with cultural significance of Irish diaspora across the USA and further afield. The legacy of Irish Coffee made it’s return to Foynes in Limerick in 1993 with the International Irish Coffee Festival. This showcase was an annual fixture in the town and attracted attendees from around the world competing for the title of International Irish Coffee Champion.
Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey
Tullamore D.E.W is the first on our list of recommend whiskeys for your Irish Coffee. Tullamore D.E.W has been long associated with Irish Coffee, as it is the whiskey of choice of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, the first spot the cocktail was sold in America. Today, The Buena Vista is recognized as the world’s leading seller of Irish coffee, serving around 2,000 cups daily and consuming nearly 540 bottles of Tullamore Dew whiskey each week. In 2006, it was noted that The Buena Vista was the largest consumer of Irish whiskey in the United States and is frequently acknowledged as Tullamore Dew’s biggest client.
Tullamore D.E.W is a blend of three different whiskeys, each contributing unique flavors to the final product. The grain whiskey adds sweetness, the pot still whiskey adds spice, and the malt whiskey adds fruit flavors. This results in a wonderfully balanced drop, which pairs with the robust flavours from the coffee. On the nose, you will find fruity and biscuit forward notes. These are intertwined with caramel and toffee sweetness and citrus peels. On the palette, flavours of rich buttery toast, honey, grains and creamy vanilla. The warming notes work beautifully with the toasted rich flavours from the coffee and really elevate your winter warmer.
With it’s historical links, and balanced flavours from the blend of Single Grain, Single Malt and Pot Still, Tullamore D.E.W makes a great choice for your Irish Whiskey this winter. We can definitely see why it’s a top choice for Buena Vista.
Roe & Co Blended Irish Whiskey
In 2017, contemporary whiskey brand Roe & Co was launched by Diageo. Its name serves to pay homage to a forgotten distiller that was once the largest in Ireland. Although they are newer on the Irish Whiskey scene, their blended Irish Whiskey has become a favourite of ours for our Irish Coffees. This whiskey is refined, elegant, and with remarkable depth. It is a masterful blend of rich malt whiskey and the smoothest of grain whiskey aged in bourbon casks. The Master Blender at Roe & Co. Caroline Martin created a versatile whiskey that is luxuriously smooth and a harmonious blend between the fruitiness of the malt and the creaminess of the grain.
On the nose, Roe & Co. has hints of spiced pear, creamy vanilla and caramel oak. The aromas from the whiskey blend beautifully with a fruity coffee like an arabica from Ethiopia. The palate of the whiskey consists of soft spice and mellow spun sugar, along with warm hints of spiced pears and woody vanilla. These subtle spices, sweetness and fruitiness find harmony with the coffee. While the brown sugar and cream only enhance the experience. To get an extra sweet finish, Roe & Co says to try whipping your cream with maple syrup and a drop of vanilla essence. This whiskey will not disappoint in your Irish Coffee.
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is celebrated for its distinctive flavor profile, which makes it an excellent choice for crafting the perfect Irish coffee. This whiskey is aged in rum casks, offering a delightful hint of tropical fruit and caramel that complements the rich, roasted notes of coffee. The subtle sweetness from the rum cask finish enhances the overall flavor, adding complexity and depth to the drink.
One of the standout qualities of Teeling Small Batch is its smoothness. The whiskey’s carefully crafted blend ensures a balanced taste that melds seamlessly with coffee, without overpowering it. This smoothness is crucial in maintaining the harmony of flavors, allowing the warmth of the whiskey to shine through while still letting the coffee’s boldness take center stage.
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is known for its versatility and approachability, making it suitable for both whiskey enthusiasts and newcomers alike. It a superb choice for creating a memorable Irish coffee.