It Was a Dark and Stormy Night - St. Pat, Mr. Bergin & Irish Coffee

Everyone has heard of Irish coffee yet everyone probably misunderstands exactly what it is. Coffee and whiskey, right? Well, Not exactly.
 
The origins of Irish coffee are indeed Irish as the name implies. Recently I sat down with Derek Schreck, owner of Tom Bergin’s Public House in Los Angels (they hold the 2^nd oldest liquor license in LA) to uncover the origins of Irish Coffee for St. Patrick’s Day. To be fair there are several iterations of Irish Coffee and its genesis, but Sheridan, an airport and whiskey are all the main words you need to know.

Derek Schreck manning the bar

It was 1939 and at the Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland it was a frightful night to travel. When a plane took off it was forced back to the airport due to the torrential storm. Cold, tired and trembling the passengers were miserable. Joseph Sheridan who operated the restaurant at the airport decided to make a warm drink to calm the passengers nerves and lift their spirits. He mixed Irish whiskey, specifically Tullamore Dew, with sugar, coffee and whipped cream. It was an instant hit and it soothed the anxiety of the passengers and, Irish coffee was born – in Ireland. That original concept of Irish coffee didn't migrate to America until 1954 however. Tullamore Dew has always been the "proper" whiskey to use, not their higher end Phoenix or other Irish Whiskey, though I love Teeling, Yellow Spot and Red Breast 12.
 

Beverage Director Brandi Boles and I making cocktails

Anyhow, Tom Bergin’s Public House in Los Angeles is the “home of Irish coffee” as it has been for 60 years. Schreck is only the third owner in the pubs' history, and is emphatic that Irish coffee should be considered a cocktail, not merely a coffee drink, and that’s one of the reasons it is not served in a mug with a handle. The coffee they use, roasted for them from New Mexico, is a strong, robust coffee as more mild coffees don't hold up to the potent whiskey. It was always known that true hand-whipped Irish cream was gravity intolerant, meaning it would hold to your hand when turned upside down, thus making it suitable as part of the drink- - you never use spray crap out of a can.
 

Toasting Carey Grant's Shamrock at his booth

If you don’t like coffee, or even Irish coffee, a visit to Tom Bergin’s is cool for a number of reasons:

-They have one of the largest selections of Irish Whiskies in the U.S.

-It was originally co-owned by Bing Crosby

-It was a watering hole for nearby movie studios in the 40s and 1950s

-The TV pilot for Cheers has hatched here

-Carey Grant was such a regular he has his own booth
-Prior to the Lombardi trophy Super Bowl champs got just a banner they could hang in their stadiums. The Los Angeles Rams actually won the super bowl in 1951 - good trivia right there, and that winning banner now resides at Tom Bergin’s.

Classic Irish Coffee

If you’re in the LA area, make it a point to visit Tom Bergin’s, which has a vast Irish whiskey catalog and brown spirits to serve you. Here is the original Irish Coffee recipe, properly served in a warmed toddy glass. The result is a juxtaposition of a cool cream cap, which breaks into the hot coffee with warm woody notes and a great balance of coffee and whiskey. 

Warm 6 oz. glass with hot water, add:

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 ½ ounces of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey

Add to nearly the rim dark, strong coffee

Top with hand-whipped Irish cream.

Hark! The Herald Angels Drink

The Holidays – a blur of parties, gifts, stress, bad drivers, and other things. So let’s simplify the gift giving process (enough with S’well bottles, gift cards, and Blue Apron) let’s focus on six top-notch liquid gifts for your loved one, for yourself, your neighbor, pastor, UPS driver, or whomever. Life is short, so drink well.

The Three Wise Wines

Canard Vineyard 2012 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Under the radar and around since their first vintage in 1984, Canard is one of those incredible finds. Canard sacrifices big yields for smaller grapes and greater concentration of flavor due to their dry farm approach. Located on the Silverado Trail they craft a rich and voluptuous Cabernet with vibrant black cherry, raspberry, black and huckleberry, with shrewd notes of cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and black pepper spice - a perfect balance of oak, fruit and a mild but proper acidity. This is a seamless wine that reflects exactly how dry farming can change the complexity of a wine. ($125, canardvineyard.com)

Ram’s Gate 2013 Pinot Noir Bush Crispo Vineyard

Located in Carneros, Ram’s Gate is crafting exceptional wines, though this vineyard is Russian River Valley. The nose is super ripe black cherry that gives way to rich luscious hedonistic black cherry, blackberry, black raspberry, acidity and a joyfulness in simply drinking this wine because it's just so damn good. And that is the X factor: a wine that tastes so good that you want to drink it three ways hard, fast and continuously. But do savor this wine – in fact it makes you stop whatever you're doing when you take the first sip and say, damn, I need to pay attention to this. What stands out is the dark rich vibrant fruit, more so than the oak treatment. ($70, ramsgatewinery.com)

Duckhorn 2012 Rector Creek Vineyard Merlot

Duckhorn has always been at the forefront of Merlot, even when it wasn’t popular they have continued to show how the grape could excel. Rector Creek, located just north of Yountville produces powerful Merlot grapes grown on alluvial soil. With velvety smoothness, this Merlot exudes blackberry, black cherry, a wee bit of plum, a hint of cedar, allspice and a mild acidity, which compels this wine forward. Merlot’s softer side and its food-friendly nature shine through with this compelling wine. ($95, duckhornwine.com)

The Three Wise Spirits

Hennessy VS Limited Edition Cognac

Hennessy has been making Cognac for 250 years and I had the great fortune to visit them firsthand in early 2015. Twice distilled, Cognac (actually a brandy) has reached mythic heights in part because the aging process can take decades. Wine is distilled into eaux du vie, which is then distilled a second time and aged. The VS Limited contains more than 40 different eaux-de-vie, aged up to eight years. This smooth refined Cognac offers a bite at the end, but it is full of spice, cedar and amber notes from the oak casks, a slight floral nose with violets and rose petal and a caramelized nut note. It’s smooth, sweet, mature and complex, as Cognac should be. ($45, hennessy.com)

Jonnie Walker Select Series Rye Cask Finish

The first iteration in the Johnnie Walker Select Cask series (traditional whiskies finished in different casks than they were aged in) is a rye cask finish which brings together a blend of whiskies aged for 10 years in new American oak barrels and then finished in older American rye barrels, or casks. Light malt, vanilla, and honey slowly infiltrate the palette and then there is the noticeable oak. Yes the rye is evident but most noticeable is the sweet peat and smoke that permeates all around followed by sugared almond, citrus, soft resin and a spicy, floral finish. ($45, jonniewalker.com)

Teeling Irish Whiskey

The Teeling family traces their distilling history back to 1782, but it was only 1987 when John Teeling reopened a distillery in Dublin with the goal of producing age-old Irish recipes that had been long forgotten. This is a soft and aromatic whiskey with notes of citrus, resin, cinnamon, vanilla, cedar and rose water. Unlike many brown spirits, there is no harshness to this, it is an elegant, gracious and personable whiskey, finished in rum casks and easy to drink, offering a maturity you wish all whiskies had. ($40, teelingwhiskey.com