Authentic Irish Coffee

When I go out on date night with my husband, we love to order coffee with our dessert.  Upgrade that to an Irish coffee and WOW!  I have been messing around with measurements and ingredients and then finally asked my favorite high-end restaurant how they make it.  I will never go back!  This is such a treat for a cold evening after putting the kids to bed and curling up with a good book. I like mine made with decaf so that I can still easily fall asleep, but you can make it with regular coffee which would be perfect for serving at a Christmas Brunch.  Note, pairs well with chocolate chip cookies!

Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass held up in front of a christmas tree background

The ingredients and measurements are simple and keep the thickened cream in the fridge, (it will stay good for a week!) and you can always indulge in this perfect night time before bed drink. 

The real magic of this drink is the thickened cream.  I make it plain year round, but at Christmastime, I add cinnamon and it is like Christmas in a cup.  Phenomenal.  And you KNOW I won't steer you wrong on the perfect warm drinks.  I have Hot Buttered Rum and Rummy Hot Chocolate that you can enjoy as well.

Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass set on a wood table with a bottle of Irish whiskey in the background

Now, let's get started!

Ingredients to make Authentic Irish Coffee set on a wood table

The gang's all here!  We have instant decaf coffee, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and thickened cinnamon cream.  I am going to walk you through making enough for one, but make some for everyone around your table.  It's easy and so comforting.

Hand measuring on teaspoon of coffee into a glass mug

Start with instant coffee.  Put that in a mug.

one teaspoon of sugar being measured for Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass

Add some granulated white sugar.

One teaspoon of brown sugar being measured for Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass

Add a bit of light brown sugar.

Tablespoon of Irish whiskey being measured in a clear glass

Add boiling water and stir in Irish Whiskey.  Stir well.

hand holding spoon full of home made whipped cream

Here is the good stuff!  Put heavy whipping cream into a stand mixer and mix on high until just thick, no peaks will form.  Add cinnamon and whip it!

Spoon full of homemade whipped cream being added to Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass

Pour the thick cream over your drink and let it settle in on top.  Sip that glorious goodness and make jokes about the whip cream on your lips.  It is so so good!

Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass on a wood table with a bottle of Irish Whiskey in the background

Authentic Irish Coffee in clear glass held up in front of a christmas tree background

Let’s be honest: most “free” recipes today are scraped (stolen) and stitched together by AI, which means inconsistent results and wasted ingredients.

This recipe comes from 15 years of real kitchen experience—tested, refined, and written by me, so you get something that works every time.

By purchasing this, you’re getting a reliable, proven recipe you can trust and keep forever,

Thank you for supporting real creators and fighting to keep homemade recipes alive.


Liked my Authentic Irish Coffee? Shop my entire recipe catalog here! Merry Christmas!