Forget about the four leaf clover. You can find all the luck you need in some coffee beans. When it comes to St. Patrick's Day, what better way to ring in the festivities than with a nice cup of Irish Coffee? In honor of St. Patrick's Day and our Training Center in the Bay, we put together a vegan spin on the classic Irish Coffee.

The Buena Vista bar in San Francisco is legended to have served the first Irish Coffee outside of Ireland. The bar sits in an iconic setting and still carries a reputation for serving one of the best versions of the classic coffee cocktail. The basic ingredients of The Buena Vista’s Irish coffee are sugar, coffee, whiskey, and a luxuriously whipped-but-drinkable cream. We decided to create a vegan version that still has all the flavor but none of the dairy. 

The key to a great irish coffee is the texture of the cream! It has to be stiff enough to float, but loose enough to sip alongside the main beverage. For this, we relied on a hand whipping method which uses audio cues to achieve the right texture.

We also recommend using Big Trouble for your Irish Coffee. It has complimentary flavor notes and the green packaging adds a nice, festive touch. 

Irish Coffee Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Giffard Crème de Cacao
• 3 ounces coconut cream
• 6 ounces coffee, brewed with a 1:15 ratio. 
• 26 grams (2 tablespoons) demerara sugar
• 2 ounces Irish Whiskey. We recommend either Teeling Irish Whiskey or Redbreast.
• Grated nutmeg for garnish

Instructions:

1. Make shaken cream. Combine Giffard Crème de Cacao and coconut cream in a Mason jar. Shake gently until the cream is whipped but still pourable. The cream will sound very sloshy. As soon as it is silent, the cream is done (about 3-5 minutes). Set aside and keep chilled.
2. Make your coffee either as a pour-over or using a French press.
3. Add demerara sugar to the bottom of a cup. You can add more or less depending on your preference.
4. Add in your whiskey.
5. Add in your coffee leaving about an inch of space at the top. 
6. Stir to combine. 
7. Invert a spoon over the beverage and pour one inch of cream on top. 
8. Garnish with grated nutmeg.
9. Enjoy!

Make this drink at home and share your photos with us using #CounterCultureCoffee