On a cold winter day in San Francisco there is nothing better than an Irish Coffee at the old Buena Vista Café.  After a stroll on the wharf it warms your soul.  The origin of Irish Coffee as you might have guessed begins in Country Limerick.  In the 1940’s a man by the name of Joseph Sheridan added whisky to the coffee of traveling Americans to warm them on a chilly evening.  They asked what it was and he blurted out, “Irish Coffee”.

And in 1952, Stanton Delaplane a travel writer for the SF Chronicle brought the drink the city by the bay.  He worked at the Buena Vista and recreated the drink with the café owners jack Koeppler and George Freeberg.  It is said that the Buena Visata has served more than 30 million of them.

To make this drink take a cup of black coffee, whiskey and one teaspoon of sugar and stir until dissolved.  The sugar is critical to getting the cream to float on top and not mix into the beverage.  Hold a spoon closely over the surface of the coffee and pour thick cream carefully over the back of the spoon.  To properly enjoy this drink you must sip it through the cream.  It is heavenly.