The secret to Duffy’s Shamrock Bar’s world-famous Irish coffee is the cream, whipped slowly in an ordinary kitchen mixer to a consistency just this side of butter and sweetened ever so slightly with powdered sugar.
Terry Sullivan, Duffy’s morning bartender for 24 years and the man charged with whipping six quarts of cream before the very-last lunch rush began Thursday morning, says you can try to recreate the experience at home, but manage your expectations.
“It’s the commercial-grade whipping cream. It’s like 40 percent butter fat,” he says.
Supermarket heavy cream will whip up nicely, but in truth, Duffy’s Irish coffee of yesterday is just a silky sweet memory today.
Duffy’s Shamrock Bar’s World-Famous Irish Coffee
No frou-frou sugar rim for this classic working-man’s tipple. Just pour your coffee and booze in the mug and top with thick whipped cream. Makes one drink.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Irish whiskey, Duffy’s uses Bushmills
- 4 ounces hot coffee, regular or decaf
- Whipped cream, sweetened slightly
Directions
Pour a shot of whiskey in the bottom of an 8 1/2-ounce glass mug. Add coffee and top with a heavy dollop of whipped cream.
