Known across the world as Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th is the day on which Irish culture and heritage are celebrated in all their glory in commemoration of Saint Patrick, Ireland's foremost patron saint.
Saint Patrick was an Irish bishop who was kidnapped by Irish raiders and forced to work as a shepherd, during which time he found God. Tradition has it that God told Patrick to escape and head to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home to Ireland. Upon his return, Patrick converted thousands of pagan Irish to Christianity, carving out the religious path that Ireland would follow for centuries to come.
Despite his death on March 17th, 461 A.D, his legend continued to grow and, in the 17th century, his death date was made an official Christian feast day observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others.
Today, despite only being officially recognised as a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all over the world. In fact, it's celebrated in more countries than any other national festival, with revellers typically enjoying public parades, traditional Irish music sessions, the wearing of green clothing and, of course, a glass or two of Irish beer, cider or whiskey.
It's with the latter that we're concerned today.
According to legend, the first Irish coffee was created in the winter of 1943 by Joe Sheridan, a chef at Foynes Port near Limerick. During World War II, as the last port of call for seaplanes east of the Atlantic, Foynes became one of the largest civilian airports in Europe.
One evening, Chef Joe decided to make a warming drink with a kick for a group of weary passengers whose plane had been forced to return to Foynes midway through a journey. Not only did his combination of coffee, cream and Irish whisky go down a storm with the travellers, it went on to become one of the most popular alcoholic drinks of all time and one which is still enjoyed as an indulgent end-of-meal drink today and particularly on St. Patrick's Day.
So how do you make the perfect Irish coffee at home?
Irish Coffee Recipe
The saying goes that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish. If that's the case, there's no excuse for not giving this recipe a go this week.
Ingredients
To make an Irish coffee, you will need:
2 tbsp double cream
150ml freshly brewed black coffee
50ml Irish whiskey
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
mint syrup (optional)
Start by lightly whipping the cream until it starts to thicken, then set aside.
Next, pour the hot coffee into a mug then add the whiskey and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then float the cream on top by pouring it carefully over the back of a spoon held just above the surface of the liquid. Gradually raise the spoon as you pour until the entire layer is floated.
Finally, sprinkle with the nutmeg and serve hot. Add a dash of mint syrup for a green finish!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Our mobile baristas will be on the road as usual this St. Patrick's Day so, if you fancy making an Irish coffee and need some coffee delivering to your doorstep, contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we'll do the rest. Sláinte!