St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and we’ve got the cocktail solution for those of you wondering what to drink on St. Patrick’s Day! This is also the perfect drink to enjoy on a cold night, especially after all this snow and winter weather we’ve been getting on the East Coast. This Spiced Irish Coffee cocktail recipe has cardamom syrup and rosewater whipped cream – a fun twist on the traditional Irish Coffee cocktail. For those of you planning winter weddings, this is also a fantastic signature cocktail idea to keep your guests warm!

Spiced Irish Coffee Cocktail Recipe

• 2 oz Irish Whiskey
• 1/2 oz Rich Cardamom Syrup
• 6 oz Hot Coffee
• 1 oz Rosewater Whipped Cream

To make the Cardamom Syrup: combine 2 cups of raw sugar with a cup of water in a saucepan over low heat. Add a handful of cardamom pods and stir frequently until the sugar has melted into the water. Take the pan off the heat, cover, and let it sit for at least 20 minutes to infuse. Then strain out the cardamom pods and bottle the syrup.

To make the Rosewater Whipped Cream: combine a pint of heavy whipping cream and a teaspoon of rosewater in a standing mixer and whip until the cream starts to stiffen, but not so stiff that stable peaks form. Add more rosewater as needed; you want the cream to be fragrant but not soapy.

To make the Spiced Irish Coffee: combine the whiskey, syrup, and coffee in a heatproof glass, preferably with a handle, or a mug. Top with the whipped cream and top with a dusting of ground cardamom. Give the drink the gentlest of stirs and enjoy!

A traditional Irish Coffee calls just for whiskey, sugar, coffee, and cream. This makes a very good drink. Our version just kicks this up a notch, adding some of our favorite Middle Eastern flavors that pair perfectly with coffee. (Seriously, consider adding a pinch of ground cardamom and a tiny dash of rosewater to your morning coffee; you’ll be glad you did.)

We used a rich simple syrup – a syrup made from a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water – because its thick body helps add texture to the Irish Coffee. We’ve found that hot drinks can often feel too thin and rough unless they’re balanced properly with thickening ingredients like this. The cream helps too; you want the cream to sit heavy on top of the glass, melting into the drink bit by bit.

The coffee is, of course, important too – especially since it makes up the majority of the drink. We used fresh pour-over coffee, since we’re coffee nerds in addition to being booze nerds. But this doesn’t seem like the right post to get into all the mechanics of that. Would anyone be interested in taking a further look at pour-over coffee in another post?

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper