Cocktail recipes: Mostly Classic Irish Coffee

"This is the real coffee cocktail GOAT," write the co-authors of "But First, Coffee," a new cookbook about all things coffee, referring to Irish Coffee. 

Irish Coffee is “the real coffee cocktail GOAT,” write the co-authors of “But First, Coffee,” a new cookbook about all things coffee.

Authors Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen praise San Francisco’s iconic Buena Vista Cafe for popularizing the drink, but note they’ve got a few ideas on how to make an excellent one at home with some small changes.

“Our two big departures here are the whiskey and the sugar,” they write.

Mostly Classic Irish Coffee

Makes 1 drink

INGREDIENTS

Hot water heated to 180 degrees for preheating the glass

Splash of Demerara Simple Syrup (recipe below)

4 ounces (1/2 cup) hot filter coffee (ideally a daily drinking blend from your favorite roaster)

2 ounces (1/4 cup) Irish whiskey (Tullamore D.E.W. is traditional, but we also like Knappogue Castle, Green Spot and Writers’ Tears)

Frothed cool cream, in the style of Buena Vista Cafe (see below)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your glass with the hot water — fill it nearly to the top and allow it to sit for at least 30 seconds to fully warm the vessel. Ideally, you’re using a traditional Irish coffee tulip, but any heatproof 6-ounce glass will do.

Discard the preheating water, then add a splash of Demerara Simple Syrup to the heated glass. Add the coffee, then pour the whiskey.

Gently, carefully, with a practiced hand, float a layer of frothed cool cream on top of the drink. Serve immediately.

Demerara Simple Syrup

Makes 12 ounces

1 cup Demerara sugar

1 cup water

Directions: Add the sugar to a small saucepan. Pour 1 cup of water over, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Allow to cool completely, then store in a bottle or flask with a sealed lid. It will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator.

Frothed cool cream

The cream-float bit at the end is tricky, to the consternation of bartenders worldwide, but a few tips can work wonders. First, do not overwhip your cream — you don’t really want “whipped cream,” but rather a lightly frothed cream. Pour the cream over the back of a metal spoon, which will slow down the pour and create an even, unbroken layer of cream and coffee. The drink should appear “sealed,” with no frothy cream dropping down into the coffee.

— Reprinted with permission from “But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen (Union Square & Co., $20)