the webgreek blog

In today’s Tonic Tuesday, we talk about Caife Gaelach, or Irish Coffee.  I know, I know, it’s a hot drink and it’s summertime.  Well, I whole-heartedly invite you east coast beach goers and southwest desert dwellers to a San Francisco Giants home game at night, and we’ll see just how summery it is here.  Believe me, you’ll be pining for some caife gaelach long before there’s action in the bullpen.

According to Wikipedia, Irish coffee was invented during a miserable winter night in the 1940s.  A bunch of American passengers had just disembarked a Pan Am flight, and were freezing.  Chef Joseph Sheridan gave the passengers coffee with a spot of whiskey to help warm them up, and when one asked if the coffee was Brazilian, Sheridan responded that it was Irish coffee.  It was brought to San Francisco in 1952 by the travel writer with perhaps the most appropriate name ever, Stanton Delaplane, who helped popularize the drink by mentioning it frequently in his writings.

Irish coffee is a great nightcap warmer after an easy to moderate night of drinking.  The good news is that it’s relatively cheap and easy to make, and a good Irish coffee is impressive to the average bloke raised on pre-mixed margaritas and fruit punch chasers.  Here’s how you do it:

Take these three things:

• 1 part Irish Whiskey
• 2 parts hot coffee
• 1tsp brown sugar

and mix them well.  Technically, they are all supposed to be heated together (not boiled), but pouring whiskey and sugar into pre-made hot coffee (no Nescafé!) will suffice.  Then add some fresh cream on top, about two ounces, poured over the back of a spoon to maintain separation.  The coffee is then drunk through the layer of cream.

If you’re looking for something to warm you up but without the caffeine, try a Hot Toddy.  A remedy for the common cold, this delicious concoction is an ideal way to prepare for a good night’s rest.  Boil a bit of water, and add it to a mug with whiskey (or brandy), honey, lemon, cloves, and a cinnamon stick.  I’ll leave it to you to vary the proportions as needed.  I would increase the lemon, cloves and honey if you have a sore throat.  The vitamin C will do you good, and cloves are a natural analgesic.