Irish Coffee Recipe: How to Make It Properly (and Stop the Cream Sinking)

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Irish coffee is one of my favourite Irish inventions. You’ll find it on menus all over the world, including some of the most legendary Irish pubs. It’s also easy to get wrong, usually because the cream sinks.

Here’s everything in one place. First comes one reliable classic recipe, with metric and US measures. Then the fix for sinking cream, the right whiskey and glass, and the story from Foynes to San Francisco.

Jump to:

• Classic Irish coffee recipe
• Why the cream sinks
• The best whiskey for Irish coffee
• The right Irish coffee glass
• Who invented Irish coffee?
• The Buena Vista Cafe, San Francisco
• Christmas spiced Irish coffee
• Irish coffee without whiskey
• Visiting the Foynes Flying Boat Museum
• Irish coffee FAQ
• More Irish recipes and reading

Classic Irish coffee recipe

This is the classic method, based on the Foynes museum’s original recipe. The measures sit in line with the International Bartenders Association (IBA) spec, BBC Good Food and the Buena Vista’s own mix, as Punch reported it.

Prep: 5 minutes | Makes: 1 drink | Glass: heatproof stemmed glass, 180 to 240 ml (6 to 8 US fl oz)

Ingredients

• 30 to 45 ml (1 to 1½ US fl oz, 2 to 3 tbsp) cold heavy cream (double cream in Ireland and the UK)
• Hot water, to warm the glass
• 1 to 2 tsp brown sugar, or 2 sugar cubes
• 120 ml (4 US fl oz, ½ US cup) hot, strong brewed coffee
• 45 ml (1½ US fl oz, 3 tbsp) Irish whiskey

Method

1. Whip the cream first. Whisk it in a bowl, or shake it hard in a clean jar with a lid, just until it thickens. It should still pour, like melted ice cream. Stop well before soft peaks.
2. Fill the glass with very hot water and leave it for a few seconds to warm through. Tip the water out.
3. Add the sugar, then pour in the hot coffee. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
4. Add the whiskey and stir once more. Leave about 2 cm (¾ inch) of room at the top for the cream.
5. Hold a teaspoon upside down, just touching the surface of the coffee. Pour the cream slowly over the back of the spoon, lifting the spoon as the layer builds.
6. Don’t stir. Drink the hot coffee through the cold cream.

Tips

Sugar. I prefer mine less sweet. Don’t go below 1 tsp, though, because the sugar helps the cream float.

Coffee. Brew it strong and hot. Filter coffee, a French press (a cafetière, as we’d say at home) or an Americano all work.

A smaller glass. These measures suit a 240 ml (8 oz) glass. In a 180 ml (6 oz) glass, use about 90 ml (3 US fl oz) of coffee so the cream has room.

Making a round. Whip the cream for everyone at once. 120 ml (½ US cup) of cream tops 2 to 4 drinks.

Why the cream sinks, and how to fix it

Sinking cream nearly always comes down to one of four things.

• No sugar in the coffee. Dissolved sugar makes the coffee denser, so the cream floats. The International Bartenders Association recipe calls for at least a teaspoon.
• Cream that’s too thin. Single cream or half-and-half won’t hold a layer.
• Cream that’s too stiff. Over-whipped cream drops in as a lump. The Dead Rabbit aims for cream that pours easily but never forms peaks, according to Punch.
• Pouring from a height. Pour slowly over the back of a spoon held at the surface.

Cream names differ across the Atlantic. Here’s what to buy.

Cream	Milkfat	For Irish coffee?
US heavy cream or heavy whipping cream	At least 36%	Yes, the best US choice
US light whipping cream	30% to under 36%	Works, but whip it a little longer
Irish or UK double cream	About 48%	Yes, but whip it briefly, as it thickens fast
Single cream or half-and-half	About 10% to 18%	No, it sinks
Aerosol (squirty) cream	Varies	No, it collapses

The US figures come from the FDA’s legal standards for cream.

The best whiskey for Irish coffee

Under Irish and EU rules, Irish whiskey is distilled and matured on the island of Ireland for at least three years in wooden casks. It’s bottled at 40% alcohol or more.

You don’t need anything fancy. A smooth, unpeated blend is ideal, because the coffee, sugar and cream cover the finer notes. Save the expensive bottle for sipping.

• Powers. Made at Midleton, here in Co. Cork. It’s the whiskey in the Foynes museum’s original recipe. New York’s Dead Rabbit used Powers Gold Label for years, according to Punch.
• Tullamore D.E.W. From Tullamore, Co. Offaly. It’s the Buena Vista’s whiskey, on my 2019 visit and on its menu today.
• Jameson. Also from Midleton, and easy to find almost anywhere.
• Bushmills. From Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland.

The right Irish coffee glass

A proper Irish coffee glass is a heatproof, stemmed glass of about 180 to 240 ml (6 to 8 US fl oz). The stem keeps your fingers off the heat. The clear bowl shows off the layers, which is half the fun.

The Buena Vista uses a six-ounce, heat-treated goblet, according to the cafe. A heatproof glass mug works too. Avoid thin wine glasses, which can crack.

Who invented Irish coffee? Joe Sheridan at Foynes

Irish coffee was invented at Foynes, a small port on the Shannon Estuary in Co. Limerick. The Foynes museum says it was the centre of the aviation world from 1937 to 1945. Big flying boats landed on the water there.

Pan Am’s Yankee Clipper landed at Foynes on 9 July 1939. The museum calls it the first commercial passenger flight on a direct route from the USA to Europe.

In 1943, Brendan O’Regan opened a restaurant in the terminal. His chef was Joe Sheridan, born in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, in 1909.

The museum tells it like this. Late one winter’s night in 1943, a flight to New York turned back to Foynes in bad weather. Sheridan added Irish whiskey to the passengers’ coffee.

The story goes that a passenger asked if it was Brazilian coffee. Sheridan’s answer, as the museum gives it: “No, that was Irish Coffee!”

1942 or 1943?

The museum says the winter of 1943, and so did my old post. Tourism Ireland’s ireland.com says 1942, and Wikipedia hedges with “1942 or 1943”. I’d trust the museum, but treat the year as approximate.

Foynes, not Shannon

Foynes closed in October 1945, and the catering staff moved across the estuary to Rineanna, now Shannon Airport. Irish coffee was served there for years, so many people think it was invented at Shannon. It wasn’t.

If you like this kind of story, I’ve a page of more Irish inventions.

How Irish coffee reached America: the Buena Vista Cafe

Stanton Delaplane was a San Francisco Chronicle travel writer. He tasted Irish coffee at Shannon and brought the idea home. The Foynes museum says he passed through in 1951.

On the night of 10 November 1952, he and owner Jack Koeppler began trying to recreate it at the Buena Vista Cafe. The cafe’s menu says the drink was “introduced” there. That’s the right word, as they didn’t invent it.

At first the cream kept sinking. The cafe says the fix was cream aged about 48 hours and frothed to the right thickness. The tip is often credited to dairy owner George Christopher, later the city’s mayor.

Koeppler then invited Joe Sheridan to work at the Buena Vista in 1952. Sheridan died in 1962 and is buried in Oakland, near San Francisco.

My visit to the Buena Vista

I visited the Buena Vista in 2019, and it was delicious. I paid around $10 each, so two Irish coffees plus a tip came to US$22. The whiskey was Tullamore D.E.W.

I did think a whole bottle would cost me less than those two glasses. Still, it’s a great experience.

Prices have likely gone up since, and the menu online doesn’t show one, so check before you go. The current menu still names Tullamore D.E.W., with Peerless Organic Coffee, C&H sugar and heavy cream.

Here’s one of their bartenders making six Irish coffees in under a minute.

At my 2019 prices, that’s about $60 worth of Irish coffee a minute.

The Buena Vista is at 2765 Hyde Street, at Beach Street, by the Powell-Hyde cable car turnaround. It opened in 1916. It says it serves up to 2,000 Irish coffees a day. It’s open daily from morning till late, but check the hours first.

Christmas spiced Irish coffee

My old Christmas post topped the coffee with pumpkin spice whipped cream. I’ve fixed two things. The coffee now gets its sugar, so the cream floats, and the measures fit a proper glass.

Spiced cream (tops 2 to 4 drinks)

• 120 ml (½ US cup) cold heavy cream, or double cream
• 1½ tsp granulated (white) sugar
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, mixed spice or ground cinnamon
• Whole nutmeg, to grate on top (optional)

Whisk the cream, sugar and spice until just thickened and still pourable. Make the classic Irish coffee above, float the spiced cream on top and grate over a little nutmeg.

Pumpkin pie spice is a US blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. In Ireland and the UK, mixed spice is the nearest match.

It makes a fine finish to the big meal. My guide to Irish Christmas traditions, food and dinner covers the rest of the table. It’s good with a slice of Irish Christmas cake too.

Irish coffee without whiskey

There’s no official alcohol-free Irish coffee, but you can get close. Make the classic recipe and leave out the whiskey. The sugar and floated cream still give you the look and most of the feel.

A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg on the cream adds some warmth. Baileys won’t do, as it’s a cream liqueur with alcohol in it.

Visiting Foynes: the Flying Boat and Maritime Museum

The Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum is in the original terminal building, where the story began. You can board a full-size replica of a Boeing 314 flying boat. The museum says it’s the only one in the world.

The museum’s Irish Coffee Centre tells the Sheridan story. You can also book an Irish Coffee Masterclass to make your own in the building where it was invented.

On 2 October 2026, the official site listed opening hours of 10am to 5pm daily, with last admission at 4pm. Adult tickets were €18, plus online booking fees.

The site lists no winter closure, but check around Christmas before you travel. Foynes is an easy detour if you’re driving the Wild Atlantic Way.

Irish coffee FAQ

Why does the cream sink in my Irish coffee?

Usually there’s no sugar in the coffee, or the cream is too thin or too stiff. Dissolve at least 1 tsp of sugar first. Whip the cream until just pourable and pour it over the back of a spoon.

What is the best whiskey for Irish coffee?

A smooth blended Irish whiskey, such as Powers, Tullamore D.E.W., Jameson or Bushmills. Powers is in the Foynes original recipe.

Who invented Irish coffee?

Joe Sheridan, the chef at the flying boat terminal in Foynes, Co. Limerick. The Foynes museum dates it to the winter of 1943, though some sources say 1942.

What glass is used for Irish coffee?

A heatproof, stemmed glass of about 180 to 240 ml (6 to 8 US fl oz). The Buena Vista uses a six-ounce goblet. At home, a heatproof glass mug will do.

Should you stir an Irish coffee?

Stir the coffee, sugar and whiskey before the cream goes on, but never after. You drink the hot coffee through the cool cream.

How much alcohol is in an Irish coffee?

With 45 ml of 40% whiskey, there’s about 14g of pure alcohol. That’s one US standard drink, as the NIAAA defines it. Ireland’s HSE counts 10g as a standard drink, so it’s nearly one and a half.

What’s the difference between Irish coffee and Baileys coffee?

Irish coffee uses Irish whiskey, sugar and floated fresh cream. Baileys coffee uses Baileys Irish Cream, a sweet cream liqueur, stirred into the coffee.

More Irish recipes and reading

• Irish Christmas Traditions, Food and Dinner
• Irish Christmas Cake Recipe
• Irish Spiced Beef Recipe
• Barmbrack Recipe
• 10 Irish Christmas Blessings
• Facts About Ireland
• Things to Do in Cork, Ireland

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