What is an Irish coffee?

The idea of alcoholic hot coffee drinks has been around for some time, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century in Viennese, German and Denmark coffee houses. But the Irish coffee is said to have first been created in the 1940s by Joe Sheridan, chef at Foynes Port near Limerick, Ireland. In 1943, a Pan Am flying boat flight to New York turned back to Foynes due to bad weather. Sheridan was asked to come back to the airport and prepare hot food and drinks for the passengers, who were feeling the winter weather. He whipped up a concoction he was confident would warm up the passengers. When an American passenger asked if it was a Brazilian coffee, Sheridan replied that it was in fact an Irish coffee.

In 1951, travel writer Stanton Delaplane sampled Sheridan's Irish Coffee at Foynes Airport. He introduced this new coffee to Jack Koeppler, the owner of The Buena Vista hotel, and asked him to recreate it as best he could. But after many attempts, it still wasn't quite right. The taste was off and the cream kept sinking! This encouraged Koeppler to return to the source and find out exactly how to make this unique coffee from the Joe Sheridan himself in Limerick, Ireland. On his return, Koeppler perfected the recipe that is still used at the Buena Vista today. Sheridan was also offered a job at The Buena Vista and he settled in San Francisco, working at The Buena Vista for the next ten years.

Irish coffee has four main ingredients: coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and cream.

What an iced coffee is made of
An iced coffee is a cold version of your favourite coffee, but it’s not simply a coffee that has been left to cool. Like a regular coffee, it’s usually a combination of hot espresso and milk. However, ice is added too.

What an espresso is made of
Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee, served in shots and it’s often the coffee base of many other beverages, such as cappuccino, latte, americano and macchiato.

What a mocha is made of
Although a mocha is often interpreted differently across the world, the basis is that a shot of espresso is combined with a chocolate powder or syrup, followed by milk or cream. It is a variant of a latte, in the sense that it is often 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk. However, a chocolate flavour is added, and this can be milk or dark.

What a latte is made of
A latte or caffè latte is a milk coffee that is made up of one or two shots of espresso, lots of steamed milk and a final, thin layer of frothed milk on top.

What a cappuccino is made of
A cappuccino is the perfect balance of espresso, steamed milk and foam. This coffee is all about the structure and the even splitting of all elements into equal thirds.

What an americano is made of
An americano is just water and espresso. It’ll either be served 1/2 and 1/2 or 1/3 espresso to 2/3 water, depending on the coffee shop in question or how you’ve chosen to brew it.

What a cortado is made of
Cortado translates to cut, meaning that the coffee is cut with milk. Unlike other coffee types the milk isn’t texturized and instead, a cortado is made with lightly steamed milk without froth or foam.

What a macchiato is made of
The macchiato is an espresso coffee drink, topped with a small amount of foamed or steamed milk to allow the taste of the espresso to still shine through. A macchiato is perfect for those who find espresso too harsh in flavour, but a cappuccino too weak.

What a flat white is made of
A flat white is a blend of micro-foamed milk poured over a single or double shot of espresso. This microfoam is steamed milk infused with air, which creates tiny air bubbles, to create a smooth and velvety texture and creamy taste.