Irish Car Bomb – Original Recipe And History

Irish Car Bomb
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Irish Car Bomb

5 from 1 vote Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

221

kcal
ABV

10%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the Irish Car Bomb.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Irish Cream

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Coffee Liqueur

  • 1/3 oz 1/3 Irish Whiskey

  • 8 oz 8 Porter Beer (Guinness)

Directions

  • Technique: Pousse Café and Bomb Shot
  • In a shot glass, pour the kahlua, the Irish cream, and finally, the whiskey. Pour gently over the back of a spoon to make clear layers between the three ingredients.
  • Fill a pint glass halfway with Guinness.
  • Drop the shot in the Guinness and down the cocktail quickly since the Irish cream starts curling instantly.

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History Of The Irish Car Bomb.

The Irish Car Bomb was invented in 1979 by Charles Burke Cronin Oat while he worked at Wilson’s Saloon in Connecticut. The Irish Car Bomb was a bomb shot cocktail using another drink he invented called the IRA Shot. The IRA Shot is a layered shot of coffee Liqueur, Irish Cream, and Irish Whiskey. Nowadays, the shot served with the Irish car bomb is usually just Irish cream and Irish whiskey, but initially, there was coffee liqueur too. This is a fantastic cocktail, and the mix of Irish cream, coffee, and Guinness is fantastic.

Since its invention, the Irish Car Bomb has been one of the most popular St. Parick Day cocktails in the United States. St. Patricks Day is a regular holiday in Ireland, but it’s an all-out party in the United States. People dress up in costumes, there are parades, entire rivers are dyed green, and people get hammered. A cocktail like the Irish car bomb fits the mood of the day. In the last ten years, there has been a push to rename the cocktail as the name is considered offensive by some. although after 40 years as a super popular St. Patrick’s day drink and being known as the Irish car bomb, that might be hard to do.

The Irish Car Bomb Name.

I see my role in this as simply being the conveyor of the history of this cocktail. Whose duty is to convey information free from judgment, both good and bad. Judgment and opinion are the personal responsibilities of every person for themselves.

That being said, the name Irish car bomb is considered offensive for its reference to bombings by the IRA in the early 1970s. I imagine living in fear of the IRA is pretty traumatic, not to mention the innocent people who died, so don’t ask for one of these in Ireland. I’ve never been to Ireland, but from what I have read, if you order one of these at a bar, someone may try to fight you. That may be an exaggeration, but I wouldn’t know.

In the United States (Where this drink is from), I don’t think most people care. I’ve never personally witnessed anyone get upset in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. An alternative name I’ve seen suggested is the Irish Slammer. Some get very offended by the name, and some get very offended at the idea of changing the name. You can’t make everyone happy. So if you want to roll the dice and order one, I say read the room and know your audience, and remember most people in the United States are not personally invested in the Irish Car Bombs name.

The Irish car bomb is not the only controversial drink name. Some find the Kamakaze upsetting because it’s named after the Japanese suicide attacks of WWII. Adios motherfucker is often called an AMF. All the sexual cocktail names. The Black and Tan came out of late 19th century San Francisco, but there was another Irish paramilitary group in the 1920s called the black and tans. Even though the drink predates the paramilitary group, I’ve read of some Irish pubs refusing to serve Black and Tans. I read a statistic once that over the last 5000 years, there have been around 11,000 wars, so something is going to bother somebody, be it a book, movie, opinion, simply existing, etc. So again, read the room, know your audience, be good, and try to make wise choices.

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Irish Coffee – Original Recipe & History

Irish Coffee
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Quick Step-by-Step Irish Coffee Recipe Video

Irish Coffee

5 from 1 vote Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

314

kcal
ABV

9%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the an Irish coffee.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Irish Whiskey

  • 5 oz 5 Hot Coffee

  • 2 oz 2 Heavy Cream

Directions

  • Technique: Build In Glass
  • Add simple syrup and spirit to a heat-proof grass. Stir to combine and then add coffee.Irish Coffee
  • Add heavy cream to a shaker and shake for around 30 seconds to thicken into whipped cream.Irish Coffee
  • Float the cream on top.Irish Coffee

Recipe Video

Notes

History Of The Irish Coffee

The Irish Coffee was invented in 1952 by Joe Sheridan, Stanton Delaplane, and the Buena Vista Cafe owner Jack Koeppler in San Francisco. The Buena Vista website tells the story of how they worked tirelessly into the night trying to recreate the Irish coffees’ found at the Shannon Airport airport in Ireland. Coffee and Alcohol cocktails were nothing new. There were already a few, the most popular and similar to the Irish coffee being the Cafe Royale, which was Brandy, sugar, and coffee. The Cafe Royale dates back to the early 1900s; It’s just missing the heavy cream on top.

The California Historical Society independently confirmed 1952 as the date Irish Coffee was invented. If they say so, then I’m sure it’s true. I don’t doubt they did their research. The oldest printed reference I can find to the Irish Coffee comes from a Playgoer magazine, stating that after the show, the theatre company will host Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe. In addition, an issue of Wine & Vine from San Francisco mentions the Irish Coffee as a new hit in the Bay Area and even gives a recipe that mentions the float of heavy cream on top. Unfortunately, I cannot narrow down the dates in google, and both of the magazine issue dates range from the 1930s to the 1950s.

In 1958 English edition of David Embury book “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks”, Embury writes by the Irish coffee recipe:

“The Irish coffee has attained great popularity in a number of New York Restaurants. Different restaurants have their own special formulas and hocus-pocus for serving it but, essentially, a jigger of Irish whisky, is blended in a cup or mug with sugar to taste, hot coffee is added to within about a half inch from the top, and then extra-heavy cream is floated gently on top.”

Clearly, the Irish Coffee quickly spread across the US and became a popular pick-me-up drink. If you want to try this classic cocktail at its origin bar, then the next time you visit San Francisco, stop by the Buena Vista Cafe and have an Irish Coffee.

Authors Note

After publishing this article, I was contacted by the social media coordinator and historian for the Buena Vista Cafe (She was super friendly and helpful), and she was kind enough to correct a few issues I had with my dates. I have updated the article to reflect those changes.

Also, I have the 1961 edition linked below because that is the only one I can find for free online, but in my 1958 copy, the section on the Irish coffee is the same. I also found a 1948 edition of his book, and the Irish Coffee is not present in that edition.

Recipe Resources

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Irish Mule – Classic Recipe

Irish Mule
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Irish Mule

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

227

kcal
ABV

10%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the a classic Irish Mule.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Lime Juice

  • 2 oz 2 Irish Whiskey

  • 5 oz 5 Ginger Beer

Directions

  • Technique: Build In Glass
  • Combine all ingredients except for the soda in a glass.
  • Fill the glass with ice.
  • Stir to combine and chill the ingredients.
  • Gently add the soda and give the drink a couple of last stirs to mix it fully.
  • Garnish:
  • Mint bouquet

Notes

Featured Video

This is the Irish Whiskey version of a Moscow Mule, sometimes called the Irish Mule. An older similar drink called the Horse’s Neck is also whiskey and ginger beer. The difference between these two is the Irish Mule has lime juice in it, while the Horses Neck has an enormous lemon peel to add citrus flavor.

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Golden Glow – Recipe

Golden Glow Cocktail
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Golden Glow

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

177

kcal
ABV

25%

Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make a classic Golden Glow.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Orange Juice

  • 1 tsp 1 Grenadine

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Black Rum

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Irish Whiskey

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Garnish:
  • Maraschino cherry

Notes

Featured Video

How can you go wrong with this drink? It has everything good in it. It kind of toes the line between being an Old Fashion style cocktail and a Tiki drink.

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