Classic Irish Coffee Recipe
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With its rich flavors of bold coffee, smooth Irish whiskey, and the subtle sweetness of brown sugar, Irish Coffee is a classic cocktail and beloved staple. Topped with a velvety layer of heavy cream, it offers the perfect balance of warmth and indulgence, making it a delicious choice for any occasion.
While St. Patrick’s Day might be the most popular occasion for savoring this delightful drink, there are many other moments that call for a comforting mug of Irish Coffee. A winter evening by the fireplace is made even more cozy when the aromas of coffee and whiskey fill your cup. It’s also a fantastic choice for brunch with friends, offering a spirited twist to the usual sweet coffee offerings.
Since Irish Coffee isn’t overly sweet itself, it pairs well with sweet treats. Serve it alongside rich chocolate desserts, like my pecan turtle candies, which complement the coffee’s flavors. Or make a batch of these buttery cranberry shortbread cookies – a wonderful accompaniment to your cup of Irish Coffee.
If you’re looking for more ways to drink Irish Coffee, check out my ideas for 5 variations below!
Ingredients
- Hot Brewed Coffee – Brew up your favorite coffee for this recipe. I love a strong French roast or espresso roast coffee, but you can use a lighter roast if preferred. Keep it to a non-flavored coffee, however, so you can better taste the Irish whiskey.
- Brown Sugar – You can use white sugar in this recipe, but brown sugar adds a caramel touch that works so well with the whiskey. You can also swap the brown sugar out for half an ounce of brown sugar syrup if you prefer a liquid sweetener.
- Irish Whiskey – You MUST use Irish whiskey. It’s the whole point of the drink. Jameson is the gold standard in Irish whiskeys and easily found here in the U.S. If you have a different favorite brand of Irish whiskey, use that.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream – same thing) is needed for the topping on our Irish Coffee. It’s unsweetened, so you need to buy the actual cream and whip it by hand. You can use a milk frother or even a hand mixer to do this.
How to Make Irish Coffee
Combine the coffee and brown sugar.
Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add Irish whiskey.
Whip cream to very soft peaks.
Irish Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz hot brewed coffee
- 2 tsp brown sugar, adjust to taste
- 1.5 oz Irish whiskey
- 2 oz heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine coffee and brown sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar.6 oz hot brewed coffee, 2 tsp brown sugar
- Add whiskey.1.5 oz Irish whiskey
- Whip the heavy cream into very soft peaks.2 oz heavy cream
- Gently place the whipped cream on top of the hot coffee mixture.
- Stir (optional), sip and enjoy.
Equipment
Recipe Tips
Adjust the brown sugar in this recipe to taste. As written it is mildly sweet. If you prefer a sweet cup of coffee, you will probably want to increase
Keep in mind that the whipped heavy cream on this drink isn’t sweetened. If you’d like sweetened whipped cream on your Irish Coffee, add 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar to the cream before you whip it.
More St. Patrick’s Day Drinks
Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day drink recipes? Try my warm and cozy Irish Cream Cocktail or this bright and refreshing Pot of Gold Mocktail, perfect for the whole family!
Five Variations for Irish Coffee
Because the base recipe is so deliciously simple, it’s easy to put your own twist and create a variation of classic Irish Coffee.
- Chocolate Irish Coffee – Add 1 ounce of chocolate liqueur (like Godiva or Mozart) along with the Irish whiskey.
- Iced Irish Coffee – Use cold brew coffee in place of the hot brewed coffee in the recipe and serve over ice.
- Hazelnut Irish Coffee – Add 1 ounce of hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico) along with the Irish whiskey.
- Spiced Irish Coffee – Top your drink with cinnamon and nutmeg and/or replace the brown sugar in the recipe with half an ounce of cinnamon simple syrup.
- Irish Cream Irish Coffee – Add 1 ounce of Irish Cream liqueur (like Baileys or Five Farms) along with the Irish whiskey.
Don’t Miss These Coffee Cocktails
If you love coffee if you cocktails, you’ll love these cocktails made with cold brew coffee.
