Coffee - Irish Coffee

     

A poster of Irish Coffee

     Irish coffee was very popular among my friends in 2003 after we read about the popular online love story.  As no Irish coffee that we tried in Malaysia fitted the description and taste like we read in the article. Some are too sweet while others are basically a cup of coffee flavoured with a bit of whisky. We even make the trying of  " irish coffee' on our to-do list when we went to Ireland. This is the beautiful, yet sad story that make us like the Irish coffee so much:

     A bartender in Dublin's airport fell in love with an air stewardess who visited the bar every time when she landed at the airport. The air stewardess would order different type of coffee according to her mood that day but never cocktail. In order for the air stewardess to talk to him, the bartender created a drink specially for the air stewardess and he created a special menu only for that air stewardess. However, the air stewardess never order that drink.

    After 1 whole year, the air stewardess finally discovered the special drink the bartender created for her and ordered it. The bartender was very emotional when the air stewardess finally order the drink and he cried. The tears drop into the glass. The air stewardess fell in love with the drink once she tried it and would ordered it every time when she landed at the air port.

   As time goes by, both the bar tender and the air stewardess become close friend. The bartender even taught the air stewardess the secret of making the Irish coffee. Then, came a day when the air stewardess decided to retire from her job and she went and say farewell to the bartender. The bartender make her the Irish coffee for one last time and ask her : " Would you like tears to go with it ?" He was hoping she could realize what the taste of fermentation represents.

      The air stewardess went back to her home in San Francisco and she couldn't find any Irish coffee in any pubs around her area. She then realized that the drink was created specially for her by the bartender. She opened a cafe and started selling Irish coffee. That is why Irish coffee is considered a cocktail in Dublin but coffee beverage in San Francisco.

     We got to try the irish coffee that fitted the description at the Brazen Head, the oldest bar in Dublin. This is the Irish coffee recipe that i get from the article : 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Oz strong, hot black coffee
• 1 1/2 Oz Irish whisky
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 Oz whippping cream

Preparation

1. Put a tea spoon into an Irish Coffee glass or mug.
2. Pour some hot, boiling water into the glass to warm it up.
3. Pour the shot of whiskey into the glass.
4. Pour the black coffee into the glass to within 15mm from the top.
5. Add in 2 tsp of sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. This is important as the sugar ensure that the cream will float.
6. Thick cream is carefully poured over the back of a spoon initially held just above the surface.The layer of cream will float on the coffee without mixing.
7. The coffee is drunk through the layer of cream.

A glass of Irish Coffee

     I never tried any Irish coffee since 2004 as most of the old friends either went back to their hometown or leave the country to work overseas. However, maybe it would be a good idea that we try and gather at a cafe or pub that sell a good Irish coffee one day and have a good catch up.