How to Make an Irish Coffee with Baileys Whipped Cream

How do you take your coffee? Black? With splash of cream and spoonful of sugar? How about Irish?

If you’ve never tried an Irish coffee before, you’re missing out. The original drink was simply a mixture of brewed coffee and a splash of good old-fashioned Irish whiskey. However, over the years, bartenders have concocted countless variations.

One recipe that’s blowing up on Reddit is a homemade Irish coffee with a magical addition: Baileys whipped cream.

Who Invented Irish Coffee?

Irish coffee originated in the 1940s when a pilot (or a chef, depending on who you ask) decided to mix up a coffee cocktail for weary passengers stuck at an airport in Ireland due to inclement weather. It was a hit with passengers and became an international sensation!

What Is Baileys Whipped Cream?

While Baileys is a fairly common addition in many Irish coffee recipes (and these Baileys desserts), this recipe is special because the Baileys is whipped into heavy cream with a shot of espresso and then floated on top of the Irish coffee. It’s a creamy, dreamy topping that’s not only infused with booze but supercharged with an extra dose of caffeine. Yum!

Beyond being delicious, this drink is a work of art. Added one by one, with a delicate hand, the sweetened whiskey, espresso and Baileys whipped cream form gorgeous amber layers that are almost too pretty to sip.

How to Make Irish Coffee with Baileys Whipped Cream

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

Ingredients

This recipe makes three Irish coffees.

For the coffee:

• 6 ounces Irish whiskey, like Jameson or Tullamore Dew
• 2 ounces simple syrup
• 6-9 ounces espresso or strongly brewed coffee (2-3 ounces per cocktail)

For the Baileys whipped cream:

• 1-1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 ounces Baileys Irish cream
• 1 ounce espresso, cooled

Editor’s Tip: You can find Baileys Irish cream at your liquor store or Total Wine.

Directions

Step 1: Warm the whiskey

In a small saucepan, over low heat, warm the whiskey and simple syrup until steaming. Do not boil.

Step 2: Whip the cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. While mixing, slowly add in the shot of espresso and Baileys. Continue to whip to the desired consistency, set aside.

Step 3: Layer whiskey and espresso

Pour one-third of the sweetened whiskey into the bottom of a glass mug. Next, with a spoon, pour 2-3 shots of espresso gently over the top of the whiskey.

Editor’s Tip: For a perfectly layered drink, hover a spoon just a few millimeters above your whiskey layer and slowly pour the coffee over top. Your goal is to disturb the surface of the whiskey as little as possible so the coffee floats on top, while the sweetened whiskey (which is denser thanks to the simple syrup) rests at the bottom of the drink. If your layers mix, don’t worry—your Irish coffee will still taste delicious.

Step 4: Add Baileys whipped cream

To finish the cocktail, carefully spoon a few generous dollops of the boozy whipped cream gently over the warm espresso so it floats. Alternatively, you may transfer the Baileys whipped cream to a piping bag, fitted with a star tip, and pipe it over the coffee.

How to Drink an Irish Coffee

Don’t stir that beautifully crafted cocktail you made! Part of the experience of drinking an Irish coffee is to keep the layers separated and allow the warm whiskey (or is it whisky?) and espresso to flow through the chilled Baileys whipped cream with each sip.

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