Our Family Motto: Go Big or Go Home

That is what this recipe is all about, a big taste coupled with extra strong coffee. A dash of cinnamon to offset the sweetness of the drink and you have yourself a great drink

I’m not a big fan of the American version of the traditional Irish Coffee which uses heavy whipping cream to top the drink, its too heavy on my stomach. Nor do I enjoy the plain old Irish Cream and coffee that less than discerning restaurants serve. I’m looking at you Olive Garden, but seriously who would trust and Italian Restaurant to make an Irish drink correctly. I changed the recipe to suite my own needs and those of people who like a little more kick to their coffee.

Today, instead of good old fashion Irish Whiskey we will be using a blended Scotch Whiskey because I’m Scotch Irish, and enjoy the flavor.

You’re going to need espresso, and a machine to make it in.   You’ll also need a driver to take you home afterwards, safety first! If you don’t have an espresso machine extra strong coffee will do the trick, but it won’t quite get the texture of the drink correct. You are going to have a problem frothing the milk though.

I start off with a clear mug same as the you would normally. Add in a shot of Irish/Scotch Whiskey and mix with a teaspoon of brown sugar. The whiskey should help dissolve the sugar, make sure the cup is nice and warm. Gives a very lovely honey tone to the glass.

Then Pull two shots of espresso into the mug letting the espresso form a nice crema on the top of the drink. After the shot is pulled use a toothpick or a fork and gently stir the alcohol into the espresso if you don’t think they mixed well, try not to ruin the crema.

Add a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream to some milk stir thoroughly and froth to a nice fluffy texture. pour very slowly into the espresso cocktail. try to keep the froth in the center of the mug. After you are done you can choose to top the drink in one of two ways, I prefer cinnamon and powdered sugar, gives it a bit of Irish potato flair. If you don’t have the ability to froth milk a substitute i found is to heat the milk in the microwave inside a plastic water bottle, cap off. Then shake vigorously with the cap on. It won’t be the same but it does add some body to the milk.

I have tried it with green food coloring and my suggestion for a better color green if you really must dye your concoction the color of Irish eyes, is add three drops of green and one half drop of blue to give the tone a deep and rich color.

I have topped the drink with chocolate powder and powdered sugar as well, and it gives it just a different bite than cinnamon does. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

So here you have a different take on the Irish Coffee, obviously not traditional but also doesn’t fool around either. Stay safe and enjoy!