Weekend Cocktail: Irish Coffee

For St. Patrick's Day or any day, an Irish Coffee is a great way to wrap up a meal or the end of a long day. It's a classic that ever goes out of style. Warm, rich and smooth, it is one of those drinks you order at a restaurant but rarely make at home. The recipe is simple and the technique is not difficult to master. Just use the back of a spoon to slowly add the cream on the top of the coffee.

Happy St. Paddy's Day... may the road rise up to meet you and the luck of the Irish be yours.

Classic Irish Coffee Recipe

Makes one

3-4 ounces hot coffee (fill mug 2/3 full)

1 to 1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey (I like Bushmills) for each serving (for a larger mug, use a 1 1/2 ounces)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Heavy whipping cream, lightly whipped (amount depends on the size of your mug)

Put the sugar in a heat-proof mug or glass. Fill 2/3 full with coffee. Add the whiskey. Then carefully pour the whipping cream over the back of a spoon to keep the color separation intact. Add a shake of cinnamon, a cinnamon stick, cocoa powder, or chocolate shavings, if desired as a garnish.

MORE WEEKEND COCKTAIL RECIPES FROM MARTIE

Chambord Champagne Cocktail

Classic Cuban Mojito

Oatmeal Cookie Martini

Classic Whiskey Sour

 French Martini

Martie's Weekend Cocktail: Classic Whiskey Sour

One of my all-time favorite cocktails; the Whiskey Sour. It's a classic that's making a comeback. The Whiskey Sour was my Mom's favorite cocktail to order for a special occasion... and on that rare occasion, I'd get to order a Shirley Temple. It always seemed so fancy and elegant to me. I always wondered how they got the top so frothy. Now I know they used a cocktail shaker to make it that way. Some people add lime juice. Some add a bit of egg white. This is the classic version.

Classic Whiskey Sour 

2 ounces bourbon

2/3 ounces fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon superfine sugar (ok to use Confectioner's sugar because it will dissolve faster)

Dash of club soda (optional)

In a cocktail shaker add ice and all ingredients. Shake well, until the sugar dissolves. The classic way to serve is in a chilled martini glass or sour glass. I like to pour over ice in a short glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a Maraschino cherry.