Whisky Coffee: Another Reason to Thank the Irish
The drink is called “The Morning After.” We were half-way sold at this point. Then we found out that its main ingredients are Jameson and coffee. Sold and done.
This genius masterpiece was born when Gizmodo writer Brent Rose woke up from a “nasty hangover.” In a desperate search for a cold cup of Joe and Irish coffee, Rose was suddenly struck by a bolt of inspiration: Why not immerse ground coffee in Jameson to extract the coffee flavor and create a “delicious, boozy, and highly caffeinated” drink? It’s moments like this that the human capacity for greatness really amazes me. Sigh.
PART I – The Cold Brew
- Measure out three ounces of fresh medium-roast coffee beans. Grind them medium-to-coarse, then place the grinds in a French press. Note: If you don’t have a French press you can use a mason jar.
- Measure out 12 ounces of Jameson. Pour the whiskey over the coffee grounds. This 4:1 weight ratio will always yield consistent results. However, if you don’t have a scale, use a basic cold brew rule—a 1:1 ratio by volume.
- Give it a quick, gentle stir to ensure that the grounds are properly distributed in the solution. Then cover the top of the French press with some cellophane or a baggie and seal with a rubberband.
- Let it sit, undisturbed, overnight. How long you should leave it will depend on the darkness of your roast and how finely you ground the coffee. 12 to 16 hours seems to be the magic range. The longer you leave it the more bitter it will be.
- Use the French press to separate most of the grounds, then pour the extract into a glass or a small A French press will get you better yields (we got a full 8 ounces of extract), but if you don’t have one, just continue to the step below and add a little squeezin’.
- Pour the liquid through a paper coffee filter held over a jar.
PART II – The Morning After
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces cold brew Irish coffee extract
- 2 ounces cold water
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- heavy cream (or whipped cream) to top
- 3 ice cubes (aprox.)
- 1 pinch kosher salt (optional)
- 1 fresh mint sprig (optional)
1. Pour the extract into a tumbler, followed by the cold water and brown sugar.
2. Mix with a spoon until the sugar dissolves. Add the ice cubes and stir a bit to melt them. You could stir in a small pinch of kosher salt—this brings out some of the more subtle flavor, but it’s not for everyone.
3. Top with heavy cream (whipped, ideally), and add a sprig of mint.
Watch How-To-Video Below:
