Drink of the Irish

Annika Mengisen

	Toast to St. Patrick

"Cream as rich as an Irish brogue, coffee as strong as a friendly hand, sugar as sweet as the tongue of a rogue, and whiskey as smooth as the wit of the land.''

No, it's not a James Joyce quote, but a popular saying about one of the most Irish of drinks.

This St. Patrick's Day, be it the juice of the barley (beer), grog (water and rum) or the rare old mountain dew (Irish whiskey), true Irishmen and women -- and those who wish they were -- will imbibe in homage to Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Patrick was the famed fifth-century priest and missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland and allegedly banished all the snakes from the country.

But if you really want to know why Irish eyes are smiling, you and your good company are advised to take part in one of Ireland's most exalted drinks. According to Irish actor and musician Alex Levine, "Only Irish coffee provides, in a single glass, all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat."

The Legend of Limerick

The Irish are so serious about their liquored coffee that for the past 20 years the town of Foynes has held an annual World Irish Coffee Making Championship and Festival in County Limerick. The celebration includes participants from the world's best hotels, restaurants and bars and actress Maureen O'Hara as the special guest.

Irish coffee was invented in Shannon Airport (formerly Foynes Airport) in 1942 by airport chef Joe Sheridan. As the legend goes, when a flight was grounded due to bad weather, Sheridan thought a dash of something strong would cheer the cold and miserable passengers. So he added a drop (or two) of Irish whiskey to their coffee.

According to the festival Web site, when an American passenger inquired if the coffee was Brazilian, Sheridan replied "No, that's Irish coffee," and it promptly became the official welcoming drink at the airport.

"The drink is world-famous because it is a smooth, delicious mixture of the best of wholesome Irish ingredients," says Margaret O'Shaughnessy, director of the Foynes Flying Boat Museum.

Foynes locals still use Powers, the oldest Irish whiskey, and Bewley's brand coffee (the best, depending on who you talk to). But whatever your liquor choice, make sure you use a glass suited to the purpose or suffer the label of "Plastic Paddy" (a non-Irish national).

Look for a long glass stem toward the bottom of the glass to allow you to hold the hot drink, says O'Shaughnessy, like this rather impressive Waterford Crystal pair for $145.

American Blend

The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco serves up to 2,000 Irish coffees a day. That's about 34,600,000 glasses since they started serving the drink in 1952. Anyone can pour whiskey into coffee; The Buena Vista has it down to a science.

Michael Carden, general manager of Buena Vista, tells the story of how the original owner brought an Irish legend to the West Coast: It started in 1942, when Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, had his first Irish coffee at Foynes Airport, and his taste buds never forgot.

On the eve of Nov. 10, 1952, Koeppler challenged travel writer Stanton Delaplane to aid him in creating their own Irish coffee that would stand up to the name. Delaplane gallantly accepted.

After exhaustive experimentation, a pilgrimage to Shannon Airport and solving the problem of sinking cream that required the aid of San Francisco's mayor -- a dairy owner -- a drink worthy of the six-ounce glass chalice was born.

"We didn't invent [Irish coffee], but we perfected it," Carden explains.

Their formula consists of a careful balance between sugar, coffee, cream and whiskey in which no ingredient overshadows the other. The whiskey of choice is Tullamore Dew, the original used by Koeppler, and the coffee they use is Peerless -- that's the brand name and also an apt description.

A plaque still hanging outside the cafe reads, "America's first Irish coffee was made here in 1952" and gives credit where it's due for those who aided in the creation of a legend now famous throughout the land.

"The Irish ignore anything they can't drink or punch," goes the saying. I only claim Irish-by-association status, but I will definitely give this drink my full attention come March 17, and if I run into one of my Irish ex-boyfriends, they certainly won't be ignored.

So may Irish coffee warm your heart and stomach this St. Patrick's Day, and remember the classic toast: "Bottoms up or bottoms down. Either way, no one will frown."

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