Invention of the 'Irish Coffee'

You can trace Irish Coffee to chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes, Ireland, on a freezing wartime night in 1943, when he mixed hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and cream to warm stranded transatlantic passengers. He created it for comfort, not fame, though other people later claimed parts of its story. The drink crossed to San Francisco in 1952, where Buena Vista perfected the floating cream and turned it into a spectacle you'll want to know more about.

Key Takeaways

• Irish Coffee is widely credited to chef Joe Sheridan, who created it at Foynes, Ireland, during a bitter winter night in 1943.
• He invented it to warm stranded transatlantic passengers after a New York-bound flight turned back in bad weather.
• Sheridan’s original drink combined hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and lightly whipped cream floated on top without stirring.
• After Foynes closed in 1945, the drink’s story continued at nearby Shannon Airport, where travelers helped spread its reputation.
• In 1952, San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe perfected and popularized Irish Coffee in America through precise technique and theatrical service.

Who Invented Irish Coffee at Foynes?

Although Irish coffee later inspired rival origin stories, most accounts credit Joe Sheridan with inventing it at Foynes in the winter of 1943. You can trace his path from Castlederg, where he was born in 1909, to Dublin, where he worked in a restaurant after his father's death reshaped family life.

At Foynes, Brendan O'Regan hired Sheridan to run the kitchen after receiving his famously cheeky note: "Dear Sir, I'm the man for the job." You see his confidence matched by skill. Foynes closed in October 1945, and the staff later moved to Rineanna, now Shannon International Airport, where Irish coffee continued as a welcome tradition. The drink was first created for passengers after a New York-bound flight returned in winter 1943 because of bad weather.

O'Regan had opened a standout restaurant and coffee shop at the flying boat terminal, and Sheridan became its defining chef. Even with an origin dispute involving Dublin claims tied to Michael Nugent, Sheridan's role anchors the drink's culinary legacy. O'Regan later defended him firmly after Sheridan's death. Much like Irish coffee, the century egg is a striking example of how alkaline fermentation can transform simple ingredients into a dish with a bold aroma, distinctive texture, and deep cultural roots.

Why Irish Coffee Was Created

Irish coffee grew out of a simple need at Foynes: warming stranded passengers on wartime transatlantic routes. As you picture the airport during World War II, you see why the drink mattered. Foynes handled refueling stops for long flights, and delays often stretched overnight when harsh weather rolled in. Joe Sheridan, the terminal’s head chef, created the drink with Irish whiskey to give it its distinctive character.

On a bitter 1943 night, soaked and exhausted travelers returned after a failed departure. They needed more than a routine cup of coffee; they needed relief. Irish coffee answered that need by boosting passenger comfort and restoring spirits fast. The warm blend offered weary passengers a sense of wartime hospitality when they felt cold, tired, and unsettled. It also suited American tastes, making the experience feel familiar and generous. You can see the original purpose clearly: comfort first, and compassion in every steaming glass. Decades later, the drink’s American legacy took shape at San Francisco’s Buena Vista when Jack Koeppler began recreating it on November 10, 1952.

How Joe Sheridan Perfected the Recipe

When Joe Sheridan refined the drink at Foynes in the winter of 1943 or 1944, he kept its purpose clear: warm tired passengers quickly without sacrificing flavor.

To perfect it, you start with a preheated glass, so the drink stays hot. You add brown sugar first, pour in strong black coffee, and stir until it dissolves completely. Then you measure in Irish whiskey and stir gently, keeping the flavors integrated and smooth. Traditionally, this Irish whiskey is what makes the drink authentically Irish Coffee rather than just spiked coffee. The original Foynes method preserves the traditional flavor he intended.

What made Sheridan's version memorable was precision. You need sugar balance, because too little leaves the whiskey sharp, while too much buries the coffee. Much like how the Maldives' coral islands sit at an average of just 1.5 meters above sea level, the margin for error in Sheridan's recipe was remarkably thin, where even small miscalculations in ingredient ratios could collapse the entire experience.

His cream technique mattered just as much: lightly whip full-fat cream, then float it over a spoon so it rests on top. You don't stir it; you sip the hot coffee through the cool cream.

Who Else Claimed to Invent Irish Coffee?

Why do so many places and people claim credit for Irish Coffee? You can trace the confusion to overlapping stories from Foynes, Shannon Airport, and the Buena Vista Cafe. Shannon boosters pointed to Joe Sheridan's whiskey-laced coffee at Foynes in 1942 or 1943, then to Brendan O'Regan adding it to Shannon's menu as the drink spread locally. The original drink was created at Foynes Airport in County Limerick to warm cold transatlantic passengers on a stormy winter night.

You also find rival claims in America. Stanton Delaplane said he tasted it at Shannon and brought the idea home in 1952. Jack Koeppler then worked to perfect the cream float at Buena Vista, where Sheridan later worked too. Buena Vista Cafe is widely credited with creating the popular U.S. version that helped spread Irish Coffee across America.

That's why local bars, culinary historians, family descendants, marketing claims, bar competitions, and regional variations all keep the debate alive. Each version highlights a different step: creation, refinement, publicity, or popularity in popular memory. Much like George Orwell's observation that controlling a narrative means controlling its history, the competing claims around Irish Coffee reflect how language and storytelling shape which version of events becomes the accepted truth.

How Irish Coffee Reached San Francisco

San Francisco’s link to Irish coffee took shape after columnist Stanton Delaplane tasted the drink during a layover at Shannon Airport in 1951 or 1952 and decided he wanted it recreated at home. Back in the city, you can picture him turning airport layovers into inspiration, then bringing the idea to Buena Vista owners Jack Koeppler and George Freeberg. Buena Vista had opened in 1916 at the corner of Hyde and Beach, giving the bayfront tavern a long-established home for Delaplane’s idea. Buena Vista would later become famous for serving around 2,000 Irish coffees on a regular day.

1. A bayfront tavern glowing under a pink neon sign
2. Cable car tracks where Delaplane nearly collapsed after endless taste tests
3. Glasses of coffee and whiskey topped with sinking cream
4. A dark, stormy November night launching the experiments

You watch the challenge center on cream technique. The cream wouldn't float, so trial after trial followed. Mayor George Christopher suggested aging cream for 48 hours, then frothing it just enough.

How Buena Vista Made Irish Coffee Famous

Buena Vista turned Irish coffee from a travel-memory curiosity into a national institution starting on November 10, 1952, after owner Jack Koeppler challenged columnist Stanton Delaplane to recreate the Shannon Airport drink on a cold San Francisco night.

You can trace its fame to that instant experimentation, then to relentless refinement until the recipe finally worked perfectly there. The recipe was based on Joe Sheridan’s invention, and Sheridan later joined the cafe.

At Buena Vista, you see precision become a marketing spectacle. Bartenders preheat the tempered upside-down bell glass, add 4 ounces of hot organic coffee, two sugar cubes, and 1.5 ounces of Tullamore D.E.W., then float soft-peaked cream aged for proper richness. The cream only floats correctly because 36% fat and 48-hour aging were identified as essential.

That show helped Buena Vista serve 2,000 drinks daily, 3,000 on St. Patrick's Day, and become America's biggest Irish whiskey buyer.

Soon, the bar earned its reputation as the nation's cathedral of Irish coffee.