Why It Works
- Swapping out the booze in a traditional Irish coffee opens up a world of flavor combinations.
This is part of a series on Irish coffee variations, including this adventurous version with fernet, and a classic chocolate-hazelnut combo. Hot coffee, different liqueurs, and flavored whipped cream can yield surprising results and add some intrigue to your after-dinner drinks.
Spiced rum slips into a hot cup of coffee like a Jamaican bobsled team sliding down an icy track…which is to say, more smoothly than Irish whiskey. Its spiced flavor and sugarcane sweetness play off the coffee’s roasted, bitter bite. On top, a heaping dollop of butterscotch whipped cream, which riffs a little bit on the rum, caramel, and dairy flavors of a classic rum raisin ice cream. To finish, a little fresh nutmeg grated on top plays up those spice notes.
My only challenge was making the butterscotch whipped cream. Thank god I work with Stella Parks, because she had an answer ready and waiting: Just whip some malted milk powder (such as Carnation, available everywhere) and dark brown sugar into the cream to simulate butterscotch’s slow-cooked, sweet dairy flavor (a trick Stella uses in her quick butterscotch pudding recipe). It works like a charm, and it couldn’t be easier. That whipped cream alone is so good, you’ll want to put it on everything.
