Irish Coffee Martini

Irish whiskey, cold brew, coffee liqueur, and Irish cream shaken cold — a hybrid of the 1943 Irish Coffee and the Espresso Martini in a single chilled drink.

The Irish Coffee Martini is a modern hybrid cocktail that draws simultaneously on two of the most influential Irish and British drink creations of the 20th century. Irish Coffee was invented by chef Joe Sheridan at the Foynes flying boat terminal in County Limerick in 1943, originally to warm transatlantic passengers on delayed winter flights — a hot, sweetened Irish whiskey topped with lightly whipped cream that travel writer Stanton Delaplane brought to San Francisco's Buena Vista Café in 1952, spreading the preparation to American audiences. The Espresso Martini was created by Dick Bradsell at the Soho Brasserie in London in the mid-1980s using vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar syrup shaken cold. The Irish Coffee Martini combines both legacies: Irish whiskey replaces the vodka of Bradsell's formula, cold brew coffee or espresso provides the coffee element, coffee liqueur deepens the roasted note, and Irish cream adds the dairy richness that connects the drink to Sheridan's original hot preparation. Baileys Irish Cream, launched in 1974 as the world's first commercially produced Irish cream liqueur, most commonly supplies the cream element. The resulting cocktail serves as a cold, shaken compression of both traditions.