There really is a day on the calendar to celebrate almost everything we love. Today, January 25th, is National Irish Coffee Day. Irish Coffee is more than dumping a shot of whiskey into your cop-o-joe. There are some subtleties to it and a little bit of history too. Its origins vary. In 1943 a cook at Foynes, now Shannon Airport in Ireland, is said to have spontaneously mixed Irish Whiskey, coffee and heavy cream to appease a flight of Americans. Other accounts say the drink originated a few years earlier at a Dublin pub.
In the United States, the coffee cocktail took flight in San Francisco. It became a staple at a bar near Fisherman's Wharf. The Buena Vista is said to serve as many as 2000 Irish Coffee's a day. It's a must stop when you are touring the city and need a break.
The folks from Keeper's Heart Irish American Whiskey sent me a care package this week with all the necessary ingredients to make the perfect Irish Coffee. And so I wouldn't mess it up, here is a fool proof recipe.
Keeper's Hearth Irish Coffee Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz Keeper’s Heart Whiskey
- ⅔ oz pure MN maple syrup
- 10 oz hot coffee
- 1 scoop clotted cream
Add Keeper's Heart and maple syrup to mug followed by coffee. Garnish with a heavy dollop of clotted cream.
The master distiller of Keeper's Heart is legendary in the Irish Whiskey community, Brian Nation. He melds the Irish and American styles in this whiskey and the result is terrific. A combination of Irish grain and American rye, it has some spicy ginger characteristics along with vanilla, oak and cooked fruits, with a nice long, warm finish.
It's going to be getting cooler again. This might just be the perfect beverage to warm you up. Cheers to National Irish Coffee Day.
*Please drink responsibly
