Irish Coffee

The year was 2019. Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first all-woman spacewalk in NASA’s history, Rami Malek won the Oscar for Best Actor, Joy Harjo became the US poet laureate, and everyday folks like me could safely eat in restaurants and travel abroad. I did both.

My first ever European adventure began at a Chinese restaurant in Kentucky. After almost a full year of planning a trip to Ireland with friends, the day had finally arrived for me to set foot on European soil. We headed to the airport and planned to arrive 2 hours early, the recommendation for international travel. We got to the airport and what did we find but our flight had been canceled due to poor weather in Chicago. We weren't even going to Chicago to fly out, but apparently, our plane was coming to us from the windy city. Long story short: we suggested every alternate possibility we could think of, the agent tried everything she could think of, but Dublin was going to have to wait one more day. The only thing to do was drown our sorrows in mai tais and martinis at the Oriental Wok.

And so the trip to Ireland began.

We did eventually make it to Ireland, our first stop being in Dublin. We got settled in to our lodgings and casually walked around they city with no real agenda. We took in some sights and eventually crossed the River Liffey to an area which looked less crowded. We decided it was time to drink our first Guinness, and we looked for a pub which felt more local than tourist. We settled on a hole-in-the-wall place with a few patrons at the bar. At the end of our trip, we would recount this stop to our taxi driver who absolutely could not believe we went into that establishment and enjoyed it. We were astounded that he was astounded and pressed him to tell us why. He said it would be like if he went to America and stopped at our most unreputable bar. We laughed and joked that if he came to the most unreputable bar in our hometown, he'd probably find us there, too. The pub didn't seem that bad to me, so I don't know what that says about America or about me, but there you have it.

We thoroughly enjoyed many great stops on our trip, reputable or not, but I think my favorite town we stayed in was Doolin.

A quaint building in Doolin near the restaurant where Larry got the best Irish Coffee he had ever had

Doolin felt more laid back (and to be fair, all of the Ireland I experienced was friendly and relaxed,) or maybe all that fresh Atlantic air made me more laid back, or maybe both. It was during the time in Doolin that I visited the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren which were two of my favorite natural areas. It was in Doolin where we stayed at an estate overlooking the ocean and in which the kitten snuck into our dwelling repeatedly and tried to eat the cheese. It was in Doolin where we ate at a low-key French restaurant with amazing food and drinks and where we listened to Irish music two nights in a row at one of the local pubs. I'd go back to Doolin in a heartbeat.

I could go on about Ireland for hours but this is a food blog, not a travel blog. If you would like to see a small handful of my photos from Ireland, you can find them here:
https://studiosuz.wixsite.com/mysite/ireland

When I was choosing the next recipe card from the Betty box, I came across the Coffee Dessert Duo, Card #24 from the section Snacks Around the Clock.

One of the recipes listed is Irish Coffee. Images of Ireland began to dance in my head. It has been just over a year since the trip. Diane and I recently discussed going back and all the new places we would visit, as well as a return to Doolin. It might not be until 2022, though. We feel lucky we went when we did and grateful for all the wonderful experiences. Though we might not get back for a while, until then, I can have a little taste of Ireland in my own home.

This recipe isn't complicated. You make coffee, pour in some whiskey, and top with whipped cream. Betty has you make the whipped cream from scratch, but you could use Reddi-Whip if you wanted. She also suggests topping with instant coffee grounds, but I topped with nutmeg instead. I did make the whipped cream as per the recipe and it was absolutely delightful. It was thick and had just the right amount of sweet to balance the bitterness of the coffee. The Irish whiskey I like for mixing is Jameson Caskmates, Stout Edition. For drinking neat, I like Green Spot.
https://www.spotwhiskey.com/en-US
And certainly, you could omit the whiskey and have a coffee enhanced with flavorful homemade whipped cream if you wanted. You could add a little bit of hot chocolate instead of whiskey for a different flavor combo. That could be quite tasty, too.

Rating: 5 Red Spoons! Go ahead and make the whipped cream from scratch. It isn't difficult and provides a quick and easy sense of accomplishment.

As we head into the new year, I want to thank everyone who has been reading about my Betty Crocker adventures. I'll have many more to come in the new year. Thank you for leaving your comments here and on Facebook. Your engagement makes me feel supported. Thank you for your kindness. I want to leave you today with this traditional Irish Blessing:

MAY PEACE AND PLENTY BE THE FIRST TO LIFT THE LATCH TO YOUR DOOR AND HAPPINESS BE YOUR GUEST TODAY AND EVERMORE.

Suz