Irish
Coffee

Four things usually go wrong here. The cream must be whipped until softly set, thick like yogurt but still just liquid, because stiffly whipped cream drops down in a lump. The coffee must be hot and sweetened, because the two teaspoons of sugar increase the density of the liquid underneath and support the cream. Pour the 3 cl of cream over the rounded side of a warmed spoon, just above the surface. And do not stir afterward, because you drink the coffee through the cream. Whipped cream from an aerosol can contains air and sinks within a minute.

The proportions remain the same; only the whiskey is omitted. Take 12 cl of strong filter coffee, two teaspoons of brown sugar, and 4 cl of a 0.0 whiskey alternative or, more simply, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract with a splash of extra coffee. The sugar content is more important than ever here, because without alcohol, the sugar is the only thing that supports the cream. Whip the 3 cl of cream until just as thick and softly whipped as in the original, and pour it over a warmed spoon. Serve it in the same stemmed glass, so no one at the table notices that anything is missing.

Swap the Irish whiskey for Licor 43 and you have a Spanish Coffee: sweeter, with vanilla and citrus notes. Rum turns it into a Caribbean Coffee, and amaretto into an Italian Coffee. Coffee with Baileys is something else, because the liqueur already contains the cream, causing the separation between black and white to disappear and making the whole drink creamier and sweeter. Classic Irish Coffee remains the only one with that clean two-tone division in the glass. The glass itself remains the same in every case: stemmed, made of tempered glass, and holding 24 to 28 cl.

Choose an Irish blend such as Jameson, Bushmills, or Powers. Irish whiskey is generally distilled three times, making it smooth, slightly sweet, and free of harsh edges - exactly what you want alongside bitter coffee. Bourbon brings heavy vanilla and oak flavors that compete with the coffee's roasted notes, while rye makes the whole drink peppery. A peated Scotch malt is completely unsuitable, because the smoke and coffee clash. A mid-range bottle is more than sufficient, since the 4 cl is completely absorbed into 12 cl of coffee.

How do I make Irish Coffee for six guests without the first one being cold by the time it reaches the table? Put the coffee in a thermos, rinse all the glasses with hot water beforehand, and whip the cream until soft peaks form in advance; covered in the refrigerator, it will keep for half an hour. Then work in a set order for each glass: sugar, hot coffee, stir until everything has dissolved, then the whiskey, and the cream only at the end. How do you make Irish Coffee that stays hot until the last sip? By not skipping the preheating, because a cold glass immediately draws the heat out.

Four Irish Coffee ingredients, each with a purpose. Use strong filter coffee rather than espresso, because at this volume espresso becomes too concentrated and bitter beneath the cream. Brown sugar dissolves faster than granulated sugar and also adds a caramel note. For the cream, use full-fat heavy cream with at least thirty-five percent fat; low-fat varieties never become softly whipped and therefore sink. And the Irish Coffee whiskey should be Irish and smooth, because you want to taste roundness here, not smoke or harshness.