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Just over a week to go until St. Patrick’s Day, and I’m getting so excited! No, not because I’m Irish, but because it’s a holiday that revolves around food and drink. And any day that involves eating and drinking is a day the Albanese clan is going to show up for.

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In order to plan a proper St. Paddy’s celebration, an Irish Coffee absolutely must be on the menu! It’s as synonymous with the holiday as Green Beer, but more than anything, it’s just plain delicious. However, what you might not know is that this very popular drink came about spontaneously on a cold day at an airport!

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It was the winter of 1943 at Foynes Port (one of the biggest civilian airports in Europe at the time near Limerick, Ireland) when airport Chef Joe Sheridan decided to whip up something warm and special for weary passengers whose flight got turned around due to a storm. As the story goes, his coffee concoction was so delicious that it silenced the entire crowd until someone piped up and asked, “Is this Brazilian coffee?” To which Joe responded, “No, it’s IRISH coffee."

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Although there are countless variations of Irish Coffee to be enjoyed, Joe’s original recipe requires only 4 ingredients: Cream that’s as rich as an Irish Brogue; Coffee that’s as strong as a friendly hand; Sugar that’s as sweet as the tongue of a rogue; and Whiskey that’s as smooth as the wit of the land!

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So to keep things authentic, I used Bushmills Original Whiskey (the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world), Espresso grind coffee, and homemade whipped cream. I also followed Joe’s original recipe and used brown sugar, but you can certainly use demerara syrup if you prefer. The result? A genuine and delightful taste of Ireland right in your mug!

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