Made with strong coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar and topped with a rich layer of cream, Irish coffee is recognized on January 25.
- 1405 – More than 500 years prior to its addition to coffee (or officially, at least!) whiskey is known to have been distilled in Ireland. Scholars believe that Christian monks were responsible for bringing back the distillation process from their travels east.
- 1900s – The cocktail menu in Viennese cafés started to include many variations of coffee and spirit mixes.
- 1943- At Foynes Park, near Limerick, Ireland, chef Joe Sheridan helps out some weary travelers who are stranded at the airport by making their coffee with sugar, whiskey and cream
- 1948 – Food critic, Clementine Paddleford, writes a St. Patrick’s Day column for the New York Herald Tribune and includes a recipe for Irish Coffee with cream, sugar and whiskey. The drink doesn’t really gain traction in the US, though, until a few years later on the west coast
- 1952 – Travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, brought Irish coffee to the San Francisco having it at Shannon Airport. Delaplane brought the idea to the Buena Vista Cafe on November 10, 1952.
- 1950s -Tom Bergin’s Tavern in Los Angeles, also claims to have been the originator and has had a large sign in place reading “House of Irish Coffee” since the early 1950s.
- 1973 – Adding elements of cocoa flavors, Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur is put into production, which provides a welcome expansion to the flavors of Irish Coffee drinks. The spirit is manufactured in Ireland and exported all over the world.
- 1982 – The Buena Vista, the San Francisco pub where Irish coffee made its U.S. debut, had its busiest day ever thanks to the 49ers playing in the Super Bowl.
- 1988 – In 1988, the National Standards Authority of Ireland published Irish Standard I.S. 417: Irish Coffee
- A similar hot Irish drink is called the Hot Irish Monk – cocoa, Frangelica, and whiskey.
- The original Irish coffee recipe explicitly uses cream that has not been whipped.
- Irish whiskey (and American whiskey for that matter) are both spelled with an “e.” Scotch whisky drops the “e.”
- Alex Levin said: “Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.”
- The village of Foynes on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary holds an annual Irish Coffee Festival.
- Some chefs use the back of the spoon placed just above the glass. Then they pour the cream over it, as it is slowly lifted upwards.
- Irish coffee can also be classified as a hot toddy.
- According to Joe from the Foynes Flying Boat Museum the ingredients for Irish Coffee are as follows: Cream – Rich as an Irish Brogue, Coffee- Strong as a Friendly Hand, Sugar – Sweet as the tongue of a Rogue, and Irish Whiskey – smooth as the Wit of the Land.
- Each year in Montgomery, NY the town hosts an Irish festival to honor the Irish heritage. Each year the festival offers traditional Irish crafts, dancing, food, and lots of Irish coffee. The festival takes place in Orange County Park which offers a tranquil setting for a day of fun and relaxation
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