St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, and that means adding booze to whatever food and drink is socially acceptable. Our cocktail of choice? Vegan Irish Coffee. DUH!
The exact origins of this classic drink is steeped in rumor. The most widely accepted story is that it was created by chef and bartender Joe Sheridan in the 1940s at the Foynes Airbase flying boat terminal in County Limerick, per Irish Central. On a chilly night in 1943, Sheridan reportedly added a splash of Irish whiskey and pouring cream to coffee, hoping to warm passengers. When asked if he used Brazilian coffee, Sheridan said, “No, it was Irish coffee.”
The boozy coffee concoction eventually made its way to the US, where its popularity caught on and as they say, the rest is history.
Here, a blend of vegan cashew milk and dairy-free almond cream replace the traditional dairy. You can find both at the store or if you have a high-speed blender you can try your hand at making your own with a nut milk kit.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:140]The traditional recipe makes use of hot coffee but considering the weather is finally warming up, cold brew coffee makes for a refreshing alternative. You can find bottles and cans of cold brew coffee at most grocery stores these day (or you could ask your local coffee shop), but it’s also easy to make at home with coarsely ground beans and a cold brew kit.
We recommend adding the optional vegan coconut whipped cream for an extra-special St. Patrick’s Day treat. You can also find that in grocery stores or you can use chilled canned coconut cream – just scoop out the cream from the top of the can and top off your coffee. Vegan coconut whipping cream is another option, like in this recipe for Vegan White Chocolate Horns With Dairy-Free Cream. Again, it’s optional, but totally worth the extra effort.
As for whiskey, a handful of brands make it with honey but the majority of hard liquors are vegan. We always use Barnivore to check which brands are vegan whenever we take a trip to the liquor store.
This recipe was republished with permission from Eat by Chloe.
