| |

2 Easy Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Coffee is a sure sign of the season. These two Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee recipes are festive and utterly delicious. And best of all — can be served to anyone who loves coffee, shamrocks, and the Irish.

Two mugs of Irish Coffee with shamrock latte art

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!

Save Recipe

So make yourself a warm mugs of Irish coffee… or two… and make a toast, or simply celebrate all things green and lovely.

The Original Irish Coffee Recipe

It’s said, “A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.” That could be said in the story of how Irish Coffee came to be.

The original Irish coffee contained a strong brew of coffee, a tablespoon of brown sugar, Irish whiskey and cream.

The Irish story of how Irish Coffee Came to Be

Irish Times tells the story of top Irish chef Joe Sheridan and his now world-famous invention, Irish Coffee.

It tells of a stormy night in Limerick, a New York bound flight turned back to Limerick due to weather. A story of weary travelers and beautiful Irish hospitality.

Chef Joe Sheridan was already on his way home when word of the returned flight reached him. Turning back, he determined to feed the weary travelers and warm them by a good Irish fire and spirits.

That night, he took strong black coffee and mixed it with good Irish whiskey. And for good measure, topped it with pouring cream. When passengers asked what they were drinking, if it was Brazilian coffee, he responded that “no,” it was “Irish coffee.”

As one might imagine, word of that Irish coffee came to America through a San Francisco journalist who sampled that oh-so-delicious coffee in Limerick. It was a late San Francisco night at The Buena Vista when that good old Irish Coffee emigrated to America. And The Buena Vista found themselves to be the most prosperous saloon in the city. Practically overnight, so we’re told, all thanks to Irish Coffee.

And as the Irish Times said… “All because of a cold night and bad weather, all because of a storm in 1943 that forced a flight to America back to its origin at Foynes, Irish coffee became the first flavored coffee drink.”

And now… you know.

Two Mugs of Irish Coffee on a Green Cloth

Testing Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee Recipes

The Original version of Irish Coffee, as you know, contains Irish Whiskey. Although I hail from O’Hara stock, I’ve never had whiskey.

But I’m told it has a citrusy, almost smokey flavor. That I understand.

Citrusy and smokey sound ever so delightful on a chilly St. Patrick’s Day evening.

So testing, we began.

Could you make a non-alcoholic version that mimicked the original?

The answer is yes, you can. The problem was choosing a favorite.

As you read through this post, you will find two Irish Coffee Recipes. That’s not normal for us at 31Daily, to post two recipes in one post.

But we came to a stalemate of favorites, my husband and I. 

The first recipe is super simple and straightforward. Coffee, brown sugar, just as Joe Sheridan did in 1947, a smidgeon of rum extract, and whipped Irish cream. This is my husband’s favorite.

My favorite was a more citrusy take on this now-famous coffee. It begins with coffee, of course, brown sugar – because it’s the right thing to do, and then adds some citrus elements I love. 

Mugs of Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee on a Wood Board with Shamrock Stencil

You Tell Us

In that we can’t decide, we’re asking YOU! Some evening when you’re craving a warm beverage — try these two recipes and see what you think! It’s a super easy and fun activity around St. Patrick’s Day.

And if you love it, you might always enjoy No Churn Irish Coffee Ice Cream!

Top view of 2 Irish Coffee mugs with Shamrock Stencil

Creating a Shamrock Template

Love coffee art? I do too. It makes the coffee even that more special.

I looked everywhere for a shamrock coffee stencil to no avail. I would love to hear if you happen to find one.

And then I realized how easy it was to make my own. 

Shamrock Clipart Template

Creating latte art with a shamrock coffee template is a fun way to add festivity to Irish Coffee.

Simply right-click on the image above and save. Then print on card stock or heavy paper, and cut out the interior shape, the negative space. Leave a couple of inches border all around and hold it over your coffee.

Choose spices you love to decorate the top of the whipped cream. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa powder are excellent choices! Our favorite is cocoa powder.

If you’re feeling especially fancy, you might like to look at shamrock templates on another site.

Kitchen Tools We Used

“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
  • Irish Coffee Mugs (Amazon)
  • Milk frother to whip the cream (Amazon)
  • The shamrock stencil above

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

If you love St. Patrick’s Day as much as we do, you’ll want to review some of our other popular St. Patrick’s Day recipes like:

SAVE THIS AND PIN IT FOR LATER!

If you are not already, you can follow me on Pinterest and keep up with me on FacebookInstagram, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, I would love it if you would tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!

To be notified of new recipes, subscribe to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you’ll also receive a free e-book of our reader’s favorite recipes.

Two Mugs of Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee with Shamrock Stencil in Front of a Window
Two Mugs of Irish Coffee on a Wooden Board

Easy Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee

Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This Non Alcoholic Irish Coffee mocktail is a favorite among flavored coffee lovers. Rich and warm and absolutely, positively perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp rum extract
  • Heavy cream, slightly whipped
  • cocoa powder, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Whip the heavy cream (about 1/3 of a cup or so) with a whisk, electric mixer, or my favorite -- a frother. Set aside.
  2. In a glass, footed mug, add the brown sugar, and rum extract. Stir slightly. Pour in the hot strongly brewed coffee.
  3. Top the Irish Coffee with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over the back of a heated spoon. To heat the spoon, run it under hot water. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top of the coffee.
  4. If you're using a coffee stencil, place it over the whipped cream and then sprinkle the cocoa powder into the cutout shape.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Follow me on Pinterest for more and use the "Pin" button at the top of the recipe card.

2 Comments

  1. If you don’t like the citrus flavor, or don’t have them on-hand, try using 2 tsp of warm water in place of the lemon and orange juice.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *