The Irish Coffee was born on a typically stormy winters night on the wild west coast of Ireland in 1942. 

At that point in the early 1940s the west coast of Ireland, specifically Foynes in County Limerick, was one of the key stop-off destinations for air travel between Europe and the United States and Canada.

On this famous night a passenger plane destined for New York had to turn around, beaten back by Atlantic storms, and return to Foynes before another attempt the next day.

By this stage Foynes had become accustomed to welcoming weary travellers, including many high profile celebrities of the day, and had developed some fine hospitality to show off Ireland’s many wares. 

Head Chef Joe Sheridan, upon hearing of the planes imminent return, prepared coffees mixed with brown sugar, whiskey and cream to warm up the cold and tired passengers. After tasting the delightful mixture one of the passengers piped up and asked “Are these Brazilian coffees?” to which Joe replied “No, they’re Irish coffees!” and thus the legend was born.

Joe continued to serve up his special drinks but it wasn’t until travel writer Stanton Delaplane took the recipe back to the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco, a few years later, that things really took off.

Since then the drink has become famous worldwide and it’s said that the Buena Vista Hotel continues to serve upwards of 2000 Irish coffees daily!

Recipe:

• 1 cup hot, black, rich elite bean coffee
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 shot Irish whiskey (we recommend Jamesons or Bushmills)
• Double cream

Method:

Heat a tall, traditional Irish coffee glass with boiling water.

Pour away the water, add the brown sugar and coffee and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Add a shot of your chosen whiskey to the coffee and stir slowly to mix.

To add your cream use a jug with a thin spout and pour slowly over the back of a teaspoon onto the top of the surface of the coffee until you reach the rim of the glass.

Serve and enjoy this Irish classic! Just like Chef Joe Sheridan would’ve wanted! 

The Espresso Martini is modern classic, a perfect way to kick off a cocktail party or even round off a swanky dinner party. The Elite Expresso Martini is a real crowd pleaser, but does call for a shaker if you’re going to get that silky white froth on top.

The Espresso Martini dates back to Dick Bradsell at the Brasserie Soho in the early 1980s.

Since its creation, this caffeinated beverage has been bringing joy to the masses and features, in one form or another, on some of the best cocktail menus in the world.

The cocktail can be created in numerous ways, but the original is always the best and a crowd pleaser through and through.

Variations include swapping vodka for whisky, rum or even tequila. If you’re a fan of the vodka Espresso Martini, but want to shake things up a little, consider using a vanilla vodka and even adding a cream liqueur for a touch of decadence.

You can also play around with flavoured syrups, depending on the weather, so in the winter add a splash of gingerbread or caramel syrup. In the summer, perhaps a splash of banana or almond.

What is refreshing, is you can play around with this cocktail as not much can go wrong as long as you get the basics right.

For example, some recipes call for added sweetness from a sugar syrup, but if you use Kahlua, then additional sweetness could throw the cocktail off balance as the liqueur is already sweetened.

But, it is entirely up to you how you want to make this cocktail at home, making this modern classic a win for all occasions.

And don’t forget, whatever you do, garnish the drink with three coffee beans.

Recipe

1. Add 35ml Absolut Vodka to a shaker filled with ice
2. Add the 25ml Kahlua
3. Add the 35ml cold espresso
4. Add the 15ml simple syrup (you can buy this or make one using 100g of caster sugar dissolved in 100ml boiling water)
5. Shake for at least 30 seconds
6. Double strain in a chilled martini or coupette glass
7. Garnish with 3 whole elite bean coffee beans

Enjoy!