We’re making dreams come true.
Remember when I used to write long posts about how I hated coffee?
Ha.
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
I’ve officially crossed over to the dark side.
Last week we made a warm, breakfast-style coffee and this week it’s all about a cold, indulgent coffee. You can absolutely have both in the same day—I allow it.
To be honest, I didn’t need coffee until about 15 months ago. While writing my cookbook I drank a lot—sometimes even at 3 or 4 PM—which would leave me buzzing for hours. Initially I started drinking coffee because I liked the idea of it: going to a coffee shop, ordering something that sounded cool. I liked the concept more than the hot cup itself.
It sounded fun.
My love affair began with iced coffee—it was the only way I could drink it. Naturally, I made it taste like ice cream because I’ve always loved coffee ice cream even when I didn’t like hot coffee.
I still can’t drink it black, but I can tolerate it with less sugar now. Emphasis on less. I still want a hint of sweetness—not the over-the-top syrupy kind, not a cup that’s more syrup than coffee, but just a subtle touch.
And in this case, that subtle sweet note comes from whiskey syrup. YES.
Whiskey syrup—specifically brown sugar whiskey syrup.
I’m a little excited, okay?
Speaking of excitement, I saw a meme recently about a teacher telling a student to stop overusing exclamation points and save them for something exciting—the student replied that everything is exciting. That’s basically my life.
I’m either inexplicably thrilled about everything or completely uninterested. No middle ground.
Not only did I add whiskey syrup to the iced coffee, I added whiskey itself. Straight whiskey. So this drink is best for weekends, brunch dates, or parties.
It’s probably not the ideal afternoon pick-me-up unless you want an afternoon of excellent vibes and maybe a long nap.
Also, I did not have four of these coffees before writing this post. I’m certain of it.
My grandfather would have loved this—though truthfully he might have preferred it without the coffee. He was very Irish by heritage and habit. Afternoon plans often included a shot and a beer well into his nineties. He used to spend time at a place called the Ugly Mug in Cape May; I’m convinced he has a mug on the ceiling somewhere.
I didn’t technically use Irish whiskey for this recipe, so I suppose we can’t call it a true Irish iced coffee. But I’m Irish enough and I love whiskey, so consider this my Irish-inspired iced coffee—an alternative to green beer.
I used a Knob Creek Reserve that a generous reader gifted me during my book tour. At the time I was heavily pregnant and didn’t use it, and I didn’t want to put something special into baked goods, so I’ve been saving it to drink—just not right now.
For the base I used my favorite cold brew, a splash of cream, and a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream. Two reasons: I adore coconut whipped cream, and I was out of heavy cream. I did have chilled cans of full-fat coconut milk, so I went with that—and it was an excellent choice.
Dreamy. I could drink this forever.
Iced Whiskey Coffees with Whiskey Syrup and Whipped Cream
Pin Recipe
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
- crushed ice
- 8 ounces cold-brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons whiskey syrup
- 1 tablespoon whiskey
- 3 tablespoons cream
- coconut whipped cream for topping
- sprinkle of cinnamon
whiskey syrup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup whiskey
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
coconut whipped cream
- 1 (14-ounce) can COLD full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
-
Fill a glass with crushed ice. Pour in the cold-brewed coffee, whiskey syrup and whiskey, stirring well to combine. Stir in the cream, top with coconut whipped cream and finish with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. These proportions are my favorite, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
whiskey syrup
-
Combine brown sugar, whiskey and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in the vanilla and store until ready to use.
coconut whipped cream
-
Chill a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge. Open the can and pour off the liquid (save it for smoothies). Scoop the thickened coconut cream into the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium-high until fluffy and thick. Add powdered sugar and beat to combine. Keep chilled until ready to top the drinks.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @howsweeteats on Instagram and use #howsweeteats if you try this. I appreciate you so much!
I’m going to go decaffeinate myself.