Twelve Days of Irish Recipes: John's Irish Coffee
Written by Ciaran on Dec. 12, 2025 | 0 Comments
We're sharing one of our own recipes each day as part of our 12 Days of Christmas offers, inspired by that traditional carol and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown.
Day 12: Cheers
All the merry-making at this time of year can be tiring! A creamy, subtly sweet Irish Coffee can be just the ticket to revive flagging spirits. The story goes that the very first Irish Coffee was made in the winter of 1943 in Foynes, Limerick. Because of WWII, Foynes became one of the largest civilian airports in Europe and a common transatlantic stopping point for important political figures of the day and Hollywood stars.
Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Millar enjoy an Irish Coffee at Shannon Airport in 1956 while Sheridan's sucessor, chef William Ryan, and waiter Paddy Harty look on.
Photo Credit: Sean Curtin
One evening, bad weather turned a flight back to Foynes. Feeling sorry for the stranded travellers, chef Joe Sheridan whipped up a special drink. Silence reportedly descended as everyone enjoyed his invention. When one asked if it was Brazilian coffee, Sheridan was quick to respond, “No, it’s an Irish Coffee!"
Photo Credit: Susanne Nilsson (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
You can still enjoy an Irish Coffee in Foynes to this day at the Flying Boat & Maritime Museum. But if that seems like a long way to go, you can also try making one yourself.
My family and I enjoy this recipe every year after Christmas Dinner. The Irish coffee is meticulously made by my father-in-law, John, who has spent a lifetime perfecting it! They are REALLY delicious, and very more-ish. But be warned: more than one or two of these, and you may be no good to anyone the next day!
Ingredients
- Cold Double Cream - shaken or whipped lightly, but still pouring consistency. Definitely no spray cream!
- Piping Hot Coffee - whatever you like, but ideally good and strong!
- Sugar - my father-in-law likes to use brown sugar as it gives a caramel-like sweetness, but any type will do
- Whiskey - again, everyone has their pick - Paddy’s is ours (a bartender's tip that John follows). Powers or Jameson are also traditional, and Black Bush can lend a nice spicy twist!
Method
- Heat your glass with boiling water. Ideally, you want a glass with a stem or handle so you don't have to wait for it to cool before picking it up and drinking. John has special glasses with a small handle for just this purpose, but a thick-walled red wine glass will do. Just make sure you have your metal spoon in there to prevent cracks or keep turning the glass, especially if it is on the thinner side! You can leave it to stand while you whip your cream. This step is really to keep the coffee piping hot. It can be skipped if you are under time pressure.
- Whip your cream lightly with a whisk. Or use my father-in-law's trick of shaking it up in a half-filled bottle. You want the cream to be thick, but still be able to pour it! Leave it in the fridge until you are ready to keep it cool.
- In your empty heated glass, add a spoonful of sugar, then fill it ¾ full with piping hot coffee.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar fully. Be sure not to skip this step or your cream will not float! You won't be able to stir once the cream is in!
- Add 1 shot of whiskey, again giving a gentle little stir to mix. Some use Baileys here instead, for an Irish Cream Coffee, but whiskey is the original and best in our opinion!
- Turn a metal spoon upside down inside the glass, holding it at an angle with the tip at the top of the coffee. Slowly pour the chilled shaken cream over the back of the spoon. Gently and slowly lift the spoon as you go, filling the glass to just below the rim.
- Don’t mix! You want there to be two distinct layers - light and dark.
- You can sprinkle the top with nutmeg as a festive flourish or even a little chocolate for an extra treat. It isn’t at all traditional - my father-in-law certainly wouldn't have it! - but it tastes nice.
- Wait for it to cool just a little so you don’t burn your tongue on your first sip! This is the hardest step! Enjoy!
What's Next?
That's it for our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas treats, but you can still open door number 12 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers! We do hope you have enjoyed our series - let us know in the comments below if you try any of these recipes out this year! And, of course, if you need any help selecting a gift for yourself or a loved one, please do get in touch.
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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