There are a number of Irish Coffee recipes available on the web
and elsewhere. Most of them are close to the original, but I have
yet to see one that is true to the original.
What makes me such an expert? A branch of my family invented this
wonderful mix of black coffee, Irish whiskey and cream which was
always intended to resemble a glass of Guinness.
Irish Coffee Recipe
This is the original, traditional, mix as passed on to me through
my part of the family:
- Put one teaspoon of demerara sugar in the bottom of a stemmed
glass that is large enough to hold a cup of coffee.
- Add a measure of Irish whiskey, which could be Paddy, Bushmills
or Jamesons. The original is believed to have been Paddy from
the County Cork distillery.
- Pour in one cup of hot coffee, over the back of a spoon to avoid
ending up with a cracked glass, and stir.
- Now cool the spoon (or use a fresh one) and pour enough very
cold double (heavy) cream over the back of it to come to the top
of the glass.
Do this carefully and you will have crystal clear
coffee topped with ice cool cream.
- Do not whip the cream, simply stir it a little, or shake the carton
before opening, to ensure it pours evenly. The effect will be just as if you had Guinness in your glass.
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It was created by my distant relative Joe Sheridan in the earlier
part of the last century while he was employed as a steward at Shannon
Airport, Ireland. He would have been an uncle some four times removed.
These days there are special glasses made for serving it, and there
is even a commercial version called Sheridan's which I like to think
was named in his honour.
Serve it with pride, it has a long and honorable tradition behind
it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Sheridan is a published writer and recognized authority on cooking
matters. A former head chef, he runs several websites on cooking,
including http://www.thecoolcook.com
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