Focusing on Irish immigration and life in Ireland: The inventor of Irish coffee was a bartender at Dublin Airport. Because planes crossing the Atlantic often refueled at this airport, travelers enjoyed a cup of Irish coffee while resting after disembarking, and thus it spread around the world with air travel.
This bartender created it for a beautiful flight attendant.
The bartender met this girl at Dublin Airport, possibly a case of love at first sight, as he was very fond of the flight attendant. He thought she was as rich and smooth as Irish whiskey. However, every time she came to the bar, she always ordered different coffees based on her mood and never ordered a cocktail.
The bartender was skilled at mixing cocktails and hoped she would drink a cocktail he made for her. Later, he finally thought of a way to combine the Irish whiskey he thought resembled the girl with coffee, creating a new drink. He then named it Irish coffee and added it to the menu, hoping the girl would notice it.
Unfortunately, this girl was not very observant, so she never noticed the Irish coffee. The bartender never reminded her, just doing his job at the bar and looking forward to her visits every now and then. Eventually, she finally discovered Irish coffee and ordered it.
Was it that simple?
Simple? Do you know how much effort the bartender put into creating Irish coffee?
Basically, achieving a perfect blend of Irish whiskey and coffee is quite challenging.
First, the ratio of whiskey to coffee is crucial; the whiskey should be just over an ounce, about 30 c.c. or so.
The coffee should be five ounces, 150 c.c., with a ratio of about one to five. Do you know how many trials this took? The girl had never ordered a cocktail, so she probably didn't like the taste of alcohol, but whiskey is a strong spirit that can be harsh. Therefore, he had to find a way to mellow the alcohol flavor without diminishing its aroma and taste. The roasting of the glass is very important in this process.
Irish coffee has strict requirements for the choice of whiskey, the ratio of coffee to whiskey, and the glass and brewing method, but the choice of coffee is relatively casual, as long as it is strong and hot.
Why is that?
Besides the fact that the girl did not have a particular favorite coffee, it also represents a form of tolerance. No matter how picky he was about whiskey, he was quite lenient with coffee. The bartender probably just wanted to make her a cup of Irish coffee, not caring whether she could appreciate his effort and dedication, nor whether she would be moved.
Do you know how long it took from the bartender inventing Irish coffee to the girl ordering it?
A whole year.
When he made her Irish coffee for the first time, he shed tears out of excitement. Afraid she would see, he wiped away the tears with his finger and secretly drew a circle with his tears on the rim of the Irish coffee cup. Thus, the first sip of Irish coffee carried the taste of longing that had been suppressed for so long. And she became the first customer to order Irish coffee.
The flight attendant loved Irish coffee so much that whenever she had a layover at Dublin Airport, she would order a cup. Over time, they became quite familiar; the flight attendant would share interesting stories from around the world, and the bartender taught her how to make Irish coffee. Until one day, she decided to stop being a flight attendant and said farewell to him, marking the end of their story.
Farewell?
Farewell, a goodbye that means they will not meet again, is different from goodbye. The last time he made her Irish coffee, he asked her this question: Want some tear drops?
Because he still hoped she could taste the flavor of longing that had fermented.
After she returned to her home in San Francisco, one day she suddenly wanted to drink Irish coffee but couldn't find it in any café. Later, she learned that Irish coffee was created by the bartender specifically for her, but she never understood why the bartender asked her, "Want some tear drops?"
Not long after, she opened a café and started selling Irish coffee. Gradually, Irish coffee began to gain popularity in San Francisco. This is why Irish coffee first appeared in Dublin, Ireland, but became popular in San Francisco.
After the flight attendant left, the bartender also began to let customers order Irish coffee, so those who drank Irish coffee at Dublin Airport would think of it as a cocktail. Meanwhile, those who had it in San Francisco cafés would naturally consider Irish coffee as coffee.
Thus, Irish coffee is both a cocktail and coffee, a beautiful mistake in itself.
Well, the story is over.
Do you know why no one ordered Irish coffee for a whole year, and that flight attendant ultimately became the first person to order it?
Because the bartender made a double coffee menu, and only the coffee menu given to the flight attendant had Irish coffee written on it, while the other coffee menus did not, so other customers could not order Irish coffee.
It is also because of this story that Irish coffee has a nickname, "Angel's Tears."