This classic Irish coffee is an easy coffee treat. It’s made with Irish whiskey and makes a great night cap. Let me show you how to make this easy DIY coffee recipe!

When my hubby and I were dating our favorite thing to do was go to the used bookstore, have a coffee and hang out in the cafe together. We would each grab a few books, a coffee of our choice and page through out books.

Fast forward 10 plus years together and 4 kids, we still love getting a coffee together. Although these days its not a leisurely as going to the bookstore and hanging out for hours on end. Sometimes it’s a celebratory night cap coffee after all the kids have gone to bed.

What is in an Irish coffee?

The good thing about drinking coffee in the evening is that you can make it an adults only coffee drink. This classic Irish coffee is totally an adult coffee, although you can drink it anytime of the day.

Traditional Irish coffee is made with fresh brewed coffee, sugar, whiskey and cream. The cream is placed on top and the coffee is meant to be drunk through the cream.

It’s heaven in a mug – with a kick!

Classic Irish coffee ingredients

I saw this all the time for DIY coffee drinks – this one is super easy to make! You only need a few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

• Coffee
• Sugar
• Whiskey
• Cream

Coffee – You need a good strong coffee for this drink. You can use any type of coffee that you like, but I would suggest a dark roast. But whatever coffee you have on hand will work just fine.

Sugar – Any type of sugar works well in this recipe. Powdered sugar will dissolve the best but brown sugar will give it a better depth of flavor. Use whatever sugar you prefer.

Whiskey – Here is another fun one – you can use any whiskey that you prefer in this classic Irish coffee.

What is a good Irish whiskey for Irish coffee?

Jameson is an easy whiskey to find and is perfect for this recipe. You can check out other Irish whiskeys here.

What alcohol is in an Irish coffee?

Yes! Classic Irish coffee does have whiskey in it – an alcohol. But if you want to omit whiskey although – do it! This coffee tastes great with or without the alcohol!

Cream – For true Irish coffee you need a good cream to top it off. You can use heavy cream or half and half but I suggest making homemade whipped cream and adding it to the top.

How to make Irish coffee at home

You can enjoy Irish coffee at some restaurants but it’s super easy to make at home. Once you gather your ingredients you will also need to grab:

• a coffee mug
• spoon
• measuring cups and spoons

Step 1 – Brew your coffee. To make a cup of classic Irish coffee, measure out 1/4 cup hot coffee into a coffee mug.

Step 2 – Add in your sugar and stir to combine. The hot coffee helps dissolve the sugar.

Step 3 – Pour in your shot of whiskey. A shot is about 1 ounce, but you can add more or less. Stir to combine.

Step 4 – Pour your cream over the top of the coffee. Do not stir! Classic Irish coffee is meant to me drunk through the cream.

Step 5 – Enjoy!

What to eat with Irish coffee

While this coffee is nice alone, you can also enjoy it with:

• Cheese danish
• Coffee cake
• Salted chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate chip scones
• Irish soda bread
• Buttermilk crumpets

Love coffee? Try these other DIY coffee drinks!

Be sure to PIN THIS recipe to your coffee board!