The 11 Best Irish Coffee Bars in America

A really greatIrish Coffeeisn’t just an reconsideration of a boozing , tacked onto the bottom of a pub carte du jour . It is n’t haphazardly made with clamant coffee tree , wellwhiskeyand lukewarm emollient . It is n’t pour into just any mug the legal profession happens to have around . A truly awe-inspiring Irish Coffee is crafted with calibre ingredients and made with the perfect ratio of whiskey to umber . It ’s attend in a pre - warmed shabu coffee mug . It ’s topped with new , coldwhipped creamthat utterly contrast thehot cocktail . fortunately , you do n’t take to go all the way to the Emerald Isle to find an amazing version of the classic drink . Here , the best bar in the United States that have mastered the art of the Irish Coffee .

The Buena Vista Cafe

San Francisco, CA

The Irish Coffee come in America by way ofSan Franciscoin 1952 , when Jack Koeppler , then - owner of The Buena Vista Cafe , attempted to recreate the original Irish Coffee from the Shannon Airport in Ireland . He methodically experimented with different mixes , eventually concluding that the secret lay in the cream . When the cream was age for 48 hours and frothed , it floated perfectly on the coffee . Koeppler ’s cocktail was an nightlong success .

Today , the Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista Cafe still draws in crowds . Formally - raiment bartenders line up as many as 28 delicacy , stanch glasses — whose tulip form help oneself regularise pours — on the legal community , then fill them with blistering weewee to warm up the vessels . The cocktail is a mixture of two lucre cube , hot coffee and a poke ofTullamore Dew Irish Whiskey , but the primal ingredient is still a topping of two - days - onetime , unsweetened whipped cream . The Buena Vista Cafe has poured millions of Irish Coffees over the years and can serve over 2,000 cup daily .

Tom Bergin’s

Los Angeles, CA

If you see a big , shamrock - forge sign reading “ House of Irish Coffee , ” then you ’re in the correct berth . As one of the old unendingly maneuver ginmill in Los Angeles , Tom Bergin ’s has had good deal of practice crafting an incredibleIrish Coffee — so much so that they take to have introduced it to the United States . While The Buena Vista Cafe might have something to say about that , there ’s no denying that Bergin ’s makes the iconic cocktail well . Like their San Francisco competitors , they also use Tullamore Dew , but the LA cake prefer for simple syrup instead of scratch cubes and top the drinking off withIrish Cream , whipped just slurred enough to coat your fingerbreadth .

The Dead Rabbit

New York, NY

The Irish Coffee at the far-famed Dead Rabbit was developed by “ King Cocktail ” himself , Dale Degroff , who conceive that the success of the drink relies on two non - transferrable requirements : The proportion ofwhiskeyto coffee should be 1.5 oz to 4 oz — no more — and the pick must be hand - whisked over ice and never reach scratch . The bushed Rabbit adheres to both rules , using their ownSumatra Mandheling Coffeeand premiumClontarf 1014Irish whiskey , unify with a rich demerara sirup heated to a perfect 78 degree Anders Celsius . “ The finished drunkenness should bet like a pour ofGuinness , with its black and white layer dead defined , ” Degroff instructed Dead Rabbit bartenders . They steadfastly obey every guideline on every order .

The Local

Minneapolis, MN

The Local took their love for crafting a superior Irish Coffee to the next level by launching their own Irish whisky brand,2 Gingers , which they bring on at theKilbeggan Distilleryin County Westmeath , Ireland . The stripe mixes their proprietary look into their touch Irish Coffee , made with Guinness , brown sugar simple sirup and two-fold - posture burnt umber . It ’s clear with a vanilla attic whisk cream and thinned with a little house - made Irish cream , whose recipe is a intimately ward closed book .

Chief O’Neill’s Pub

Chicago, IL

If your whisky preferences lean towardsscotch , Chief O’Neill ’s has the Irish Coffee for you . The pub usespeatedIrish exclusive maltConnemara whiskey , which combines the smokiness of aHighland maltwith the smoothness of a classicIrish whiskey . It ’s conflate with local , ethically sourced coffee beans and topped with impudently whipped ointment . Enjoy a glass while listening to some full of life Irish trad — Chief O’Neill ’s is get laid to have some of the best traditional medicine in the existence , outside of Ireland .

Erin Rose

New Orleans, LA

A French Quarter raw material , Erin Rose’sfrozen Irish Coffeefirst debuted atMolly ’s at the Marketin the 1980s , and it was sweep up by Erin Rose in the early 2000s . The specifics of the recipe are a whodunit to the public , but the bar does expose that the cocktail is made with local dairy , local chocolate , brandy and coffee liqueur . It ’s served in their keepsake to - go cups , and it ’s topped with a sprinkling of coffee berry grounds and an extra muscae volitantes of whisky .

Condesa Coffee

Atlanta, GA

Part bar , part coffee store , Condesa makes their Irish Coffee with coffee fromCounter Culture , an ethical roaster ground out of North Carolina . The attic are brew withCu Chulainn Irish Whiskey , a theatre vanilla extract syrup made from organic cane sugar and arrant Madagascar vanilla extract spread , whipped - to - order emollient and grated nutmeg . Customers can also choose between hot and iced Irish Coffees , no matter the season .

Raven & Rose

Portland, OR

drink music director David Shenaut used to scoff at the Irish Coffee , believing it to be a waste matter of beneficial whiskey . But then , one fateful solar day in 2012 , he had a decent executed one in New York . Now , Raven & Rose serves their own variation on the drink , enliven by Shenaut ’s experience . It ’s made with precisely measured and pulledSpella Caffèdark knock , irritated brown sugar syrup , Paddy Irish whiskeyand unused , unsweetened cream , and garnishee with three espresso beans .

T.S. McHugh’s

Seattle, WA

This Seattle pub showcases the Pacific Northwest ’s amplitude of local journeyman and producer in their Irish Coffee . The base of operations is brew with bean plant from Washington roasting companyCaffè Appassionato , and the cream , which is extra - copious thanks to a minimal butterfat cognitive content of 40 percent , come fromMedosweet Farms . The ointment ’s high fatty contentedness makes for a effete float atop a commixture of fresh coffee and Tullamore Dew , which is lightly sweetened with one muddled sugar block .

The Workman’s Friend

Charlotte, NC

This inviting taphouse ’s Irish Coffee is a ardent welcome in a looking glass , lovingly made with a special attention to detail . barkeep smartly stir sugar into whiskey to secure an ultra - smooth blend , and they shake heavy cream by hand to order . The rich , smooth gustatory perception comes from fair tradePure Intentionscoffee attic , harvest in Oaxaca and roasted in Charlotte , which copulate well with the nutty , vanilla notes ofJameson Irish Whiskey .

Fort Defiance

Brooklyn, NY

The New York Timesonce dubbed the Irish Coffee at Fort Defiance “ the best in the known macrocosm . ” Bartenders start by satisfy a mug midway with boiling water and come in a small mixing canister in the mug , creating a mini double boiler . Then they stream 1.5 oz of pantry , pot still - distilledPowers Irish Whiskeyand 1 oz of simple sirup into the tin can to warm it . After empty the mug of body of water and filling it with the gratifying whiskey mixture , bartenders pour a dead reckoning ofBig TroubleCounter Culture espresso — which has preeminence of wassail sweet almond and caramel brown — instantly from the espresso machine into the mark . The java cocktail gets a topping of frothy , shaken , chilled heavy cream and new grated cinnamon bark . If it ’s not the world ’s best , asThe Timesclaimed , it comes jolly darn close .