How to Make A Wild Irish Coffee Vagabond-Style

Irish coffees go down a treat on our small-group Ireland tours.

Our VagaGuides love to take their guests to remote and beautiful destinations.

When they get there, how better to celebrate the beauty of Ireland than with a wild Irish coffee?!

This winning combination of cream, caffeine and booze is certain to restore you to full bounce.

Recreate the classic Irish coffee recipe in your kitchen.

Or, go full Vagabond and brew up this wild Irish coffee recipe outdoors!

Read on for these two special Irish coffee recipes...

👩‍🍳 Recipe #1: How To Make A Classic Irish Coffee

This is the Irish coffee you know and love.

Hot, creamy, a little bit spicy and 100% reviving!

Ingredients for Classic Irish Coffee

This Recipe Serves 1

• 175ml (approx. 6 oz) Freshly Brewed Coffee

• 50ml (approx. 2oz) of your Favourite Irish Whiskey

• 1 tsp Brown Sugar

• 2 tbsp Double/Heavy/Whipping Cream (Or Non-Dairy Equivalent)

• A pinch of nutmeg (Optional)

Equipment for Classic Irish Coffee

• A small/medium size mixing bowl
• A whisk
• A tall and thick heatproof glass with a stem
• A large spoon (for pouring cream - optional)

How To Prepare Classic Irish Coffee

1. Warm the glass by filling it with boiling water.

2. Brew the coffee to your desired strength and add it to the bowl.

3. Combine with whiskey and brown sugar.

4. Whisk well to combine. Adjust the amount of sugar to your desired sweetness.

5. Remove hot water from glass and replace with coffee/whiskey/sugar mix.

6. Whip the cream until it is thick but still pourable.

7. Add the whipped cream to the glass, taking care not to break the surface of the darker liquid below. To achieve this, pour the cream over the back of a large spoon.

8. Sprinkle nutmeg over the cream (optional)

9. Serve hot!

🔥 Recipe #2: How To Make A Wild Irish Coffee

This version of Irish coffee is unique to Vagabond & Driftwood Tours of Ireland.

So, what's the difference between a classic Irish coffee and the Vagabond version?

Cooking outside, gathering wood and using a Kelly Kettle — an Irish-made camping stove — to heat the water are the main differences.

Some elements of the classic Irish coffee recipe will be difficult while camping or out on the road.

Substituting instant coffee granules, for example, makes this wild Irish coffee recipe that much more convenient.

You'll be so excited when your tour guide brews up this delicous treat for you on our in Ireland!

Ingredients for Wild Vagabond Irish Coffee

This Recipe Serves 10 (A VagaTron Load)

• 1.5 litres (approx. 6 cups) Water

• High Quality Instant Coffee Granules

• 500ml (approx. 2 cups) of your Favourite Irish Whiskey

• 10 tsp (approx. ¼ cup) Brown Sugar

• 350ml (approx. 1.25 cup) Double/Heavy/Whipping Cream or Spray Cream (Or Non-Dairy Equivalent)

• Green food dye (Optional)

• Edible shamrocks (Optional)

Equipment for Wild Vagabond Irish Coffee

• A camping/outdoor stove (ideally a Kelly Kettle)

• Fuel for the stove - a few handfuls of dry twigs is usually enough

• Cotton wool

• A lighter or matches

• A spoon (for pouring cream)

• A glass bottle (for whipping cream)

• Heatproof glasses or compostable coffee cups

How To Prepare Wild Vagabond Irish Coffee

1. Place cotton wool at base of stove and light

2. Insert fuel to get the fire started

3. Add the water to boiler section of stove

4. Pour cream into glass bottle and add a squirt of green food dye (dye is optional)

5. Add the sugar and coffee granules to glasses/cups

6. Once the water is hot (but not quite boiling) add to glasses/cups

7. Add whiskey portion per glass/cup and mix

8. Pour the whipped cream on top, using the back of a spoon to diffuse the flow and avoid disturbing the darker mix underneath

9. Garnish with a shamrock and serve piping hot - preferably on a beach or up a mountain!

🛫 The (Surprising) History of Irish Coffee

Joe Sheridan was the genius who first created Irish coffee.

Back in 1942, Joe was working at an airport in the town of Foynes, near Limerick.

When a group of weary travellers had their flight diverted to Ireland from Newfoundland, Joe decided to brew something special to warm them up.

Needless to say, the newly created Irish coffee was an instant hit.

As a testament to this fateful day, and a little reminder of your tour, enjoy these simple Irish coffee recipes, either in the wild or in your very own kitchen.

Cheers!