Nanny Dee’s Coffee

My granny, Nanny Dee, has never made Irish coffee complicated.

She makes a cup of instant coffee, adds a dash of whiskey and gives it a stir.

That is the whole recipe.

I run a coffee company, so you might expect me to have notes. I do think about coffee more than most people would consider reasonable. But her coffee works perfectly well for her, and it has never once needed my opinion.

In Northern Ireland, you are rarely short of weather for a hot cup of coffee either.

Nanny Dee’s coffee

You will need:

• Instant coffee
• Hot water
• A dash of whiskey

Make your instant coffee the way you normally would.

Add a dash of whiskey.

Give it a stir.

That is it.

If you are wondering how much a dash is, you are not alone. It is not marked on any measuring jug I own.

Why I like it this simple

There is a lot of advice out there about how coffee should be made, and some of it is mine.

Nanny Dee’s version ignores all of it and still does exactly what she wants it to do.

It uses what is already in the cupboard. There is nothing to weigh, nothing to grind and very little to think about.

That is a big part of why it works.

Running a speciality coffee company, I can find myself looking at a cup and wondering about the coffee, the grind, the water and everything else that went into it.

That is my problem, not hers.

Sometimes a cup of coffee can just be a cup of coffee.

If you want to use fresh coffee

Nanny Dee uses instant, so this next bit is not her recipe.

But if you have fresh coffee in the house, there is no reason you cannot keep the same simple idea.

Brew a coffee you already enjoy, pour it into your mug and add a little whiskey to taste.

You do not need to turn it into a project.

For me, Conquered Signature is a really good fit here.

It has a smooth caramel sweetness, dark chocolate character and plenty of body, so it gives you a rich cup without making the whole thing feel heavy or overdone.

It is familiar, comforting and easy to drink, which feels right for a recipe that was never supposed to be complicated in the first place.

If you already have another coffee you love, use that instead. Or you can see our coffees if you fancy trying something new.

The point is not to make the perfect Irish coffee.

It is to make one you actually enjoy.

What about sugar and cream?

A traditional Irish coffee usually includes sugar and a layer of cream.

Nanny Dee’s does not.

There is no cream floating on top and no sugar being carefully measured into the glass.

Just coffee, whiskey and a stir.

If you like yours with sugar or cream, add them.

If you do not, do not.

Coffee is allowed to be that uncomplicated.

Where Irish coffee comes from

There is a nice Tyrone connection to the story too.

Irish coffee is widely credited to chef Joe Sheridan, who was born in Castlederg, County Tyrone, in 1909.

Sheridan later worked at the flying boat terminal at Foynes in County Limerick, where he is credited with creating the drink during the 1940s.

The Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum dates the story to 1943, although other accounts place it slightly differently, so the safest thing to say is that the drink became established there during that period.

The original version associated with Foynes included coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and cream.

Nanny Dee’s version is considerably less formal.

Three ingredients.

No ceremony.

No interest in whether anyone thinks it is the correct way to make one.

And I think that is part of the charm.

However you make yours, make it the way you like it.