Whether you're a seasoned pub lover or a novice pub lover, you've probably been familiar with Irish coffee before. At its simplest, it is two parts of coffee and Irish whiskey. A fuller, more popular cocktail requires coffee, Irish whiskey, coffee liqueur, some kind of sweetener, and heavy cream. Still, the basic identifying factors for this timeless drink are coffee strongness and Irish whiskey. If you've never heard of its smoky close cousin, Gaelic coffee, allow us to introduce it to you. Just as these two cultures have their own unique flavors and characteristics, so do the coffee whiskey cocktails inspired by their namesake.
The "Gaelic language" refers to the Gaelic people, the Celtic Highlanders of Scotland. Gaelic was the most commonly spoken language in Scotland around the ninth and eleventh centuries. But during the Norman invasion of the British Isles in the 11th and 12th centuries, Gaelic speakers were concentrated in the northern and western parts of Scotland. As political tensions rose and the north and south of Scotland became increasingly isolated from each other, Gaelic cemented its position as a fixed culture in the Highlands. At the same time, the Irish language remained largely unaffected.
Long story short, Gaelic is a Scottish thing, and perhaps not surprisingly, Gaelic coffee is made not with Irish whiskey but with Scotch whiskey. Irish whiskey and Scotch whiskey are two of the oldest whiskeys in the world, and it's unclear which one is technically older. There is an important difference in the naming of whiskey, though: when it's an Irish whiskey, it's spelled "whiskey," but when it's a Scotch whiskey, it's spelled "whiskey."
Gaelic coffee is Scotch whisky.
Why does this one ingredient make such a difference? Irish whiskey is made by triple distillation of a mixture of malt and grains, most notably unmalted barley. By law, the spirit must be aged for at least three years and produced entirely in Ireland. (Jameson is perhaps the most widely known Irish whiskey brand in the United States) It can be blended with grain whiskey, or it can use single malt whiskey, and is known for its smoothness.
Scotch whisky, on the other hand, is known for its peated smoky flavor. Like Irish whiskey, Scotch whiskey is also made from barley, but it is usually distilled and malted twice. Also, Scotch whiskey is more commonly found as single malt whiskey, while Irish whiskey is more commonly blended with grain whiskey. Both of these drinks are a great opportunity to showcase the high-quality spirits in your wine cabinet. In Gaelic coffee, scotch and sugar or simple syrup are mixed in a separate glass and poured into the coffee.
Finish with heavy cream and slowly pour over the back of the spoon so that it floats to the top for a dreamy layered topping. The traditional preparation of Irish coffee is much simpler. Irish whiskey is poured directly into the coffee, then brown sugar or other sweeteners are added until dissolved, then topped with floating cream and sometimes whipped cream. Unlike Irish coffee, Gaelic coffee does not use coffee liqueur, making it smoother and more dessert-like, while Gaelic coffee is more strong, smoky.