Rich, sweet and ever so slightly swanky, it’s perfect for when you fancy a treat but don’t want dessert. The softly whipped cream collar can take a bit of perfecting, so why not master it now ready for when dinner parties are a thing again? Your friend learnt to crochet during lockdown; you became a cocktail connoisseur. Trust us, you’ll be popular.
Where did the Irish coffee come from? Ireland, yes (no extra points for guessing that), but with a strong American influence as well. It was created in the 1940s by a chap called Joe Sheridan, who worked as a chef near Limerick. The restaurant where Joe worked was close to an airport which became a stop-off point for some rather sophisticated clientele travelling from the US to Europe.
The rainy Irish weather was a shock to the system of these American A-Listers. So, in an attempt to warm up their shivering fingers, Joe created the Irish coffee. To Americans not used to British tea, the strong coffee was a nice taste of home, and the whiskey and cream were welcomed because, well, they’re whiskey and cream.
An American travel writer reported about Joe’s cosy-yet-cool cocktail when he returned to the US but couldn’t recreate it no matter how hard he tried. It was so irresistibly good that he and a friend employed Joe in the US so their fellow Americans could enjoy the Irish cocktail time and again. Well, isn’t that grand!
Meet the chimp behind this article!
Head Chimp founded Two Chimps alongside Laura in 2016 after being self-employed from the age of 21. He caught the coffee bug from using an at-home roaster, and the rest is history!
What Andy does outside of the treehouse:
When the weather’s nice, Andy loves going on bike rides with his trusty sidekick, microchimp Felix (who always leads the way, of course). Andy also enjoys spending time tending to the family’s vegetable garden, and looking after their at-home farmyard, which includes a cat, two guinea pigs, and six chickens!
Andy says…
“I believe every day is a school day, and I’m always looking for opportunities to stick my head in a book and absorb new knowledge. I also love a problem to solve and fix – there’s no such thing as problems, only solutions.”
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