An Irish Coffee Recipe to Tempt You This Autumn

Irish coffee: It's a recipe of four ingredients and a surprising number of ways to get them wrong. Most versions linger over the whiskey and the cream and treat the coffee as an afterthought, which is how you end up with something merely boozy. The coffee is where the balance lives.

The short version is to warm a stemmed glass, dissolve two teaspoons of brown sugar in about 120ml of strong hot filter coffee, stir in 35ml of Irish (or Scottish Whisky) whiskey, then pour lightly whipped double cream over the back of a spoon so it floats. Don't stir. Drink the coffee through the cream. The rest (keep reading) is how to get it right.

Prep: 5 minutes. Serves: 1.

Ingredients

• 120ml freshly brewed hot filter coffee, a little stronger than usual (around 1:15)
• 35ml Irish whiskey
• 2 tsp demerara or soft brown sugar
• 40ml double cream, lightly whipped

Method

1. Warm the glass. Fill a stemmed, heatproof glass with hot water, leave it for a minute, then empty it.
2. Whip the cream until it has just thickened and is still pourable, like softly set custard.
3. Build the base. Dissolve the sugar in the hot coffee, then stir in the whiskey.
4. Float the cream. Hold a spoon, back side up, just above the surface and pour the cream slowly over it.
5. Don't stir. Drink the hot coffee through the cool cream. The cream is a lid, not an ingredient to stir in.

What's the best coffee for Irish coffee?

You want sweetness and body, something that can stand beside whiskey and sugar without being flattened by either. We'd reach for Strong, whose dark chocolate, walnut and brown sugar notes sit naturally alongside the drink. Bold is a good alternative. For a lighter, fruitier version, try Sweet. Brew it at around 93°C, a touch stronger than your everyday filter.

Why won't my cream float?

Almost always one of four things. Too stiff: if the cream dollops, it'll sit on top as a lump, so whip it only until it pours. Poured too fast: the back of a spoon spreads the cream so it settles in a layer. Sugar not dissolved: sweetened coffee is slightly denser, which helps the cream stay on top. And single cream, which won't hold: use double cream.

A Scottish twist

Swap the Irish whiskey for a Scotch and the drink is often called a Gaelic coffee. A sherry cask single malt has a dried fruit sweetness that suits a fruit-led coffee, so try it with Complex, with its cherry, stonefruit and dark chocolate notes. That pairing is our suggestion, so adjust the whisky to taste.

FAQs

Can I use espresso?

You can, but traditional Irish coffee uses brewed coffee, which gives a longer, gentler drink.

Which whiskey should I use?

A smooth blended Irish whiskey is the classic choice, and it doesn't need to be expensive.

Can I make it without alcohol?

Yes. Leave out the whiskey, keep the sugar and cream, and use a sweeter coffee such as Sweet.