National Irish Coffee Day (January 25th)

National Irish Coffee Day… now that is a holiday we can’t wait to celebrate! The most classic version consists of coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. Like most great cocktails, the origin of the first Irish Coffee is a bit fuzzy.

In the 19th century, Vienna, Germany, Denmark, and France all had their own variations of coffee cocktails. Fast forward to the 1950s and there are several places that claim to have developed the modern recipe.

Buena Vista Cafe – San Francisco

Head Chef at the flying boat terminal in Limerick, Ireland says he added whiskey to the coffee of some disembarking passengers.  

A travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle is sure that he brought Irish Coffee to the United States after drinking it at Shannon Airport. He continually worked with the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco to perfect the recipe, which is still a claim to fame for the cafe to this day!

Another report says that Joseph Jackson, of Jackson’s hotel in Donegal, used to make the drink during World War II in an effort to keep his comrades awake through the night under attack from German soldiers. Later bringing back the drink that he invented to Donegal.

Over at Wildcatters Network, we are extremely thankful for this invention. The Irish Coffee has served us well over the years as an after-dinner drink, a movie time treat, and much more. Our secret ingredient is a spritz of Crème de Menthe on top!