contemporary · built
Irish Coffee recipe
Hot coffee and Irish whiskey, sweetened, under a float of cream.
A Irish Coffee is 40 ml (37.6 g) Irish Whiskey, 90 ml (90 g) Hot Coffee, 10 ml (11.1 g) Sugar and 30 ml (30 g) Cream, built and served in a wine glass. It pours to about 170 ml before ice, at roughly 9.4% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasswine glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume170 ml
- Strength (est.)9.4% ABV
- Time3 min
Irish Coffee ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Whiskey | 40 ml | 37.6 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Hot Coffee | 90 ml | 90 g | 1.00 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sugar | 10 ml | 11.1 g | 1.11 | 1 tsp |
| Cream (float) | 30 ml | 30 g | 1.00 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Irish Coffee
- Set your wine glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the wine glass with fresh ice.
- Build Irish Whiskey, Hot Coffee, Sugar and Cream straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Stir once, briefly, to combine.
Irish Coffee: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Irish Coffee?
Roughly 9.4% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Sessionable. Comparable to a glass of wine by volume.
What glass should a Irish Coffee be served in?
A wine glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Irish Coffee without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Irish Coffee
John Collins
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.
Mint Julep
Bourbon and sugar over crushed ice with a mint bouquet.
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
Toronto
Rye and Fernet — bitter, herbal, perfectly balanced.
Whisky Sour
Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg white for foam. Dry shake first.
New York Sour
A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine.