Drinklage #4: Irish Coffee, the right way!

 Irish coffee.  Such a delicious and wonderful way to bring oneself to consciousness on a nice relaxing weekend morning.  Yet for so many, this classic day mood-setter / hangover cure has been confused for the overly sweet, tongue-coating ick that is simply Bailey's and coffee.  That is not a real Irish coffee.  Over the next few minutes, I'll show you how easy it is to make the best Irish coffee you've ever had, and even some suggestions for other flavor additions!

The mug's really not all that small; I've just got huge hands.

Ingredients:

 For the most part, this is one of those drinks that allows one to play around with the ratios a bit (the sort of "just dump it in!" approach), but for the perfect Irish coffee, there is a "magic ratio" that will be perfect every time; that is:

• 4 parts hot coffee:  The method of preparation doesn't matter, but the stronger the better.
• 1.5 parts Irish Whiskey:  It goes without saying, but go for one that's not particularly aged for this.  As for brands, of course Jameson is the standard, but if you want a smoother drink, Tullamore Dew is also pretty amazing; it adds a sort of caramel-like flavor to the mix.  Also, in a pinch, a highly-filtered Whiskey such as Jack Daniels will also work quite well.
• 1 part milk:  Higher-fat types are preferred; whole and 2% will work, anything lower would throw off the consistency of the final drink.  You could also use cream, just cut the amount slightly.
• sugar, to taste (1tsp is about right if you're measuring the other ingredients in oz)

Doing SCIENCE!

 Just stir these together in a mug, and you're all set!

But wait, is that all?

 Nope! The best part of this drink is that it's so versatile; just add in a splash of whatever liquor or other flavor you want, that works well with coffee!  All of these shown work wonderfully in this drink:

I guess these take it away from being an "Irish" coffee, but whatevs.

 Also, if you wanted to combine flavors, that can also lead you to some pretty amazing results.  Some excellent combinations include:

• Creme de Cacao + Creme de Banan
• Frangelico + DiSaronno
• Grand Marnier + Tuaca OR Licor 43 (not pictured, oops)
• Galliano OR Strega + Chambord

 But really, the fun of this is to experiment on your own!  Go with the classic, or find a flavor variation that works for you.


Slàinte!