In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day coming up in a few days, I thought I would cover this. Kathy Hamlin over at About Cocktails & Beer has this anecdote about the origin of the drink known as Irish Coffee.
Irish Coffee is indeed Irish. The Port of Foynes, which is located in County Limerick, was a major hub for for air traffic between the United States and Europe during the 30’s and 40’s. Travel was by Flying Boats. One flight that took off in 1943, encountered some really bad weather and turned back. The weather was equally as nasty upon their return and the passengers headed towards the terminal restaurant. Realizing how miserable these passengers were, Chef Joe Sheridan grabbed a bottle of Irish and prepared the comforting drinks. Legend has it that one of the passengers asked, “is this Brazilian coffee?”, to which Sheridan answered, “No, that’s Irish Coffee.” [Hamlin]