How to make the perfect Irish Coffee
An Irish Coffee is the perfect pick-me-up for cold winter days. It’s easy to make and uses relatively few ingredients (as cocktails go).
When it comes to coffee cocktails, our wonderful Martin is one of the finest barista-bartenders we know. In this blog post, we're sharing his take on Irish Coffee, the classic winter coffee cocktail.
Here's what you need to make an Irish Coffee
Ingredients
- 13g medium-ground coffee - we recommend our Christmas Rocket coffee or Decaf
- 150ml hot water
- 30ml Irish Whiskey
- 10g date syrup
- Double cream
Equipment
Recommended ingredients for an Irish Coffee
As with all cocktail recipes using the best-quality spirits and ingredients you can afford will improve the quality of your final drink. Here are some specific recommendations from Martin and the Extract Coffee Roasters team.
Coffee
For this Irish Coffee recipe, we recommend using Rocket or Decaf.
These coffees have delicious notes of cocoa which work really well in this cocktail. Choose an espresso roast coffee with a more developed profile. This is so that the coffee cuts through the richness of the cream, resulting in a delicious and balanced cocktail.
Cream
Use whipping cream or double cream. (single cream will sink to the bottom of the cup). Always choose organic cream if you can.
Irish Whiskey
You want your Irish Coffee to be smooth and balanced. We recommend choosing a sweeter, smoother Irish whiskey for this reason (rather than something too smokey or peaty).
The Irishman Single Malt Whiskey is an excellent choice.
Ingredients and kit list out of the way, let's get stuck into the recipe.
The Extract Irish Coffee
STEP 1. BREW YOUR COFFEE
Brew your coffee. For 1 serving, we used 13g of medium-ground coffee for 150ml hot water using a V60 filter brewer and the following method:
Rinse the filter paper with hot water, add 13g coffee and then slowly and evenly pour hot water over the coffee in a circular motion.
STEP 2. BUILD YOUR DRINK
Pour your brewed coffee, 30ml Irish Whiskey and 10g date syrup into a heat-proof glass and stir.
STEP 3. SHAKE UP THE CREAM (JUST A LITTLE)
Shake the double cream in a lidded jar for about 30 seconds. (A jug and whisk or cocktail shaker will also do the job.)
The cream should be slightly aerated, but remain runny and pour-able. Be careful not to overdo it.
STEP 4. POUR
Carefully pour the cream over the back of a spoon to gently float the cream on top of your drink.
Serve and enjoy!
All that reading left you thirsty?
Head over to our shop to take a look at our newest coffees.