National Irish Coffee Day - Fun Facts and the Irish Coffee Original Recipe (2024)

Baby, it’s cold outside! Grab a mug and get read to warm up with the Irish coffee original recipe, to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day.

Irish coffee is equal parts delicious, boozy, caffeinated, and comforting. It’s no surprise that there is a national day to celebrate it!

Not only is Irish coffee a great beverage to enjoy on National Irish Coffee Day, but it’s also a comforting winter beverage and a great St. Patrick’s Day drink.

Read on to learn more about the day and see the recipe for the original Irish coffee.

Irish coffee isn’t the only coffee inspired national days, be sure to check out National Espresso Day and National Cafe au Lait Day, too.

National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with.

Be sure to check out my national day’s guidefor more fun days to celebrate.

What is National Irish Coffee Day?

National Irish Coffee Day is a day that falls annually on January 25th. The purpose of this national day is to celebrate its delicious namesake drink – Irish coffee.

Over time, many variations of Irish coffee have emerged, but the original recipe calls for only four ingredients. It consists of coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and lightly whipped cream.

January 25 is the perfect day to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day, because it’s still cold out, and an Irish coffee is a great way to warm up!

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History of Irish coffee for National Irish Coffee Day

As you might guess, this beverage was born in Ireland, and it has a wonderfully rich history.

Irish coffee would not exist today if it were not for bad weather, flying boats, and the witty sense of humor of an Irish chef.

To learn all about how Irish coffee was created, and how it rose to popularity, read our post on the Irish coffee origin story!

For another culinary dish linked to the Irish, learn about corned beef and cabbage became a popular St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Fun facts about Irish coffee

Brush up on your knowledge of Irish coffee for National Irish Coffee Day with these fun facts. Some may surprise you!

• Irish coffee was invented in Foynes, Ireland.
• A very popular and versatile drink, Irish coffee can be served during the winter, and also at brunch.
• There are four ingredients to Irish coffee: coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and whipped cream.
• Irish coffee was invented in 1942, and arrived in America in 1951.
• Though invented in Ireland, part of the history of Irish coffee takes place in San Francisco.
• Irish coffee is a great drink to serve on St. Patrick’s Day if you want to skip the green beer this year.

If you’re looking for more fun on St. Patrick’s Day, make sure to get our free St. Patrick’s Day word search and St. Patrick’s Day word scramble.They’re a great activity for the whole family!

How to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day

Would you like to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day in a special way? Try one of these ideas.

• If you’re of drinking age, make yourself an Irish coffee. We have included the Irish coffee original recipe at the bottom of the page!
• Take a trip to The Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum to see where Irish coffee was born!
• Head over to have a drink at The Buena Vista, where Irish coffee made its American debut.
• Learn about The Irish Whiskey Museum, in Dublin, Ireland!
• Check out local whiskey distilleries in your area – See if you can go on a tour and learn more about this delicious spirit.
• Have your friends over for a whiskey tasting party – and remember to drink responsibly!
• Solve the word search puzzle for January to see if you can find Irish Coffee Day in it.
• Spread the word on social media using the hashtag #NationalIrishCoffeeDay. Here is a tweet to get you started:

Looking for a warm drink on this cold day? Head over to Always the Holidays for an Irish coffee recipe and the history of National Irish Coffee Day! ☕️ 🥃 Click To Tweet

More national days in January

There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in January.

To see them all, have a look at this post to discover more about the national days in January.

Is food your thing? Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it, too. You’ll find all the January food holidays here.

Be sure to also check out these national days this month:

• National Shortbread Day – Do you prefer Scotland to Ireland? Check out National Shortbread Day for a recipe for Scottish shortbread cookies.
• National Hot Chocolate Day – Looking for a warm, non-boozy drink this month? Check out National Hot Chocolate Day for a homemade hot chocolate recipe.
• National Handwriting Day – Technology is changing the way we write. Learn why National Handwriting Day should still be celebrated in our tech-savvy world!
• Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day – This day falls half way though January, and while “ditching” your resolutions may seem negative, it can actually help you succeed. Click the link to learn why!

Pin this post on National Irish Coffee Day for later

Would you like a reminder of this post for National Irish Coffee Day? Just pin this image to one of your drinks boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Watch our YouTube video for more food and drink themed national days in January.

About the author

Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.

One of the best ways to celebrate National Irish Coffee Day is to make a cup of Irish coffee using the original recipe below.