Warm Up With Comstock Saloon’s Irish Coffee

With the weather forecast in the Bay Area wet and chilly for the next week, winter is officially here. It’s the perfect time to order the  San Francisco treat—not Rice-A-Roni, but the classic Irish Coffee. The potent tipple is a beloved concoction with origins that date back to the 1950s at the Buena Vista Cafe. Today, the mixture of Irish whiskey, sweetened black coffee, and slightly whipped cream can be found at establishments all over the city—including North Beach’s Comstock Saloon.

“I think the beauty of the Irish Coffee, especially compared to other boozy coffee drinks, is the proportions of whiskey to coffee. The traditional glass used is smaller so the proportion of the drink is about two parts coffee to one part Irish whiskey,” Jonny Raglin, Comstock’s bar director explains. “The sugar cube and the fresh cream top mellow the heat of the alcohol just enough, and in a way is just like an espresso; you get to where you’re heading quickly!  I like to call it, speeding with the brakes on.”

This Thursday, January 25, in honor of national Irish Coffee day, Raglin will be whipping up Irish Coffees made with Mr. Espresso coffee. The organic fair-trade coffee will be brewed onsite and guests who order an Irish Coffee will receive a sample-sized bag of Mr. Espresso’s beans.

Can’t make it to the event? We asked Raglin to share how he makes his Irish Coffee. His recipe is below.

Irish Coffee

From Jonny Raglin of Comstock Saloon

1 ½ oz. Irish Whiskey
2 – 3 oz. Hot Coffee
1 Sugar Cube
1 ½ oz. Heavy Cream
Sugar

Place a cocktail shaker in the freezer until well chilled, at least 10 minutes. In a heated glass, add sugar cube with a splash of coffee to dissolve the sugar. Add Irish whiskey and the rest of the coffee. Remove shaker from the freezer, add the heavy cream and sugar to taste, and shake vigorously until thick and frothy, at least 20 times. Spoon shaken cream on top of the whiskey and coffee mixture, serve immediately.