Flaming Coffee.
Procedure
- Have everything prepared and ready before you start assembling as time is of the essence. Get your nata prepared and keep it nice and cold.
- Pour the whiskey and brown sugar into the Irish Whiskey glass together.
- Then use the espresso steamer to heat the whiskey until it is good and hot and the brown sugar is dissolved, about eight to ten seconds.
- CAREFULLY put a match or lighter to the glass and flame the whiskey for a few seconds. This adds a je ne sais quoi to the flavor, and cuts down the alcohol, bringing the caffeine and alcohol into perfect balance.
- Pull your shot, and dump it into the whiskey/brown sugar mixture. Between the espresso and the whiskey, your glass should be about 3/4 full (that's why you don't want to use a real big glass).
- Carefully lay down a carpet of the "nata" over the warm coffee/whiskey mixture right to the top of the glass. Then, before the nata gets warmed up, enjoy the cool, rich cream juxtaposed against the hot, strong coffee/whiskey.
Personally, I find these very addictive and therefore don't drink them very often. New Year's was the last time. But I can guarantee that you will never taste a better Irish Coffee than by using this method. I've had Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista in San Francisco which claims to be the world's best, and it is a poor cousin to this one. The key is great espresso, the cool nata, and flaming the whiskey.
The Best Irish Coffee in the World
I happen to make the best Irish Coffee in the world. I learned how to do this in a small meson in Madrid, but I have since gotten even better at it than the bartender at that establishment, where I studied long and hard under his tutelage.
The Recipe
- One Irish Coffee glass (preferably with shamrocks and a gold rim), failing that, any smallish glass about 5 or 6 fl. oz.
- One long shot of good espresso
- Two fingers of decent Irish Whiskey (Jameson or Bushmills)
- Two tablespoons brown sugar
- FRESH heavy cream, laced with a dollop of white sugar, beaten until it's the consistency of custard, but not whipped to fluffiness. In Madrid they refer to this heavy thick sweet cream as "nata".
