Irish Coffee
The Irish Coffee is an IBA Contemporary Classic: 4 ingredients, built without ice and served in a wine glass. That makes 225 ml in the glass: a long drink.
MethodBuilt without ice
GlassWine glass
In the glass225 ml
Strength8.9%
Ingredients
- 50 mlirish whiskey
- 120 mlhot coffee
- 50 mlfresh cream
- 5 mlsugar
Method
- Warm black coffee is poured into a preheated Irish coffee glass.
- Whiskey and at least one teaspoon of sugar is added and stirred until dissolved.
- Fresh thick chilled cream is carefully poured over the back of a spoon held just above the surface of the coffee.
- The layer of cream will float on the coffee without mixing.
- Plain sugar can be replaced with sugar syrup
What it tastes like
- bitter → sweet
- Bitterness leads: 2.3 out of 10, carried by hot coffee. That makes it the 15th most bitter of 186.
- round → sour
- It tends round: 148th of 186 for acidity, and what little acid there is comes from hot coffee.
- light → strong
- Just 8.9% in the glass: lighter than 70% of the catalogue, and the volume has as much to do with it as the recipe.
Among the five around it on the map it is the only one built on whisky.
Five that come close
- AmericanoRounder and with soda water in place of hot coffee.
- Campari SodaRounder and with soda water in place of hot coffee.
- BiciclettaMore sour and built on vino.
- Non-zero PossibilityMore sour and 9 degrees lighter.
- NOgroniRounder and 9 degrees lighter.
Every drink near the Irish Coffee on the map
Recipe source: IBA · checked on 30 October 2026