There are a lot of not-so-great Irish coffees out there—lots are too sweet, too boozy, or just not well balanced. But Dublin’s Chapter One changed that for me. I was filming Off Menu there and, between takes they make this amazing Irish Coffee.
The restaurant is located in the former Jameson family house which is why they make their signature Irish Coffee with Jameson whisky. The attention to detail in their food is just as apparent in their Irish Coffee that’s the best I’ve ever had. The key to their Irish Coffee is that the whole drink is flambéed so that the flavors come out just right. This Dublin-Style Irish Coffee Cocktail recipe is my take on their cocktail.
Now, go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
Dublin-Style Irish Coffee Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
like demerara, turbinado, or cane sugar
- 1 cup espresso or strong coffee
- 1 1/2 ounces Irish whisky
such as Jameson
- 1/4 cup just-whipped heavy cream
Instructions
- Caramelize The Sugar: Heat a medium heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Grate the nutmeg into the pan then immediately sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the pan. Carefully watch the pan as the sugar will begin to melt and caramelize.
- Heat The Coffee: Once the sugar is caramelized, add a splash (say 2 to 3 tablespoons) of the hot coffee and swirl it around the pan. Move quickly for the next few steps: remove the pan from the heat then add the alcohol (off the heat) and carefully ignite it. Keep it off the heat and let the flame burn out. When the flame dies down, pour in the remainder of the hot coffee and swirl to mix.
- Transfer the mixture to a glass and top with just-whipped cream. You want it to have a little texture so it will sit on the coffee, but not so much that it forms peaks.
