Irish Eyes Coffee Mocktail

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated many ways in the US, from a parade to a pint, or even just wearing green to work. This year, we’ve got another way to celebrate with a riff on an Irish cocktail, and no, it’s not an Irish Coffee. Let’s get you caffeinated before you head out to the parade with my mocktail riff on the classic Irish Eyes cocktail.

The traditional Irish Eyes uses Irish whiskey, crème de menthe liqueur, heavy cream, and sometimes Bailey’s Irish Cream. I’m trading in whiskey for espresso, and I’m using a crème de menthe syrup from Rochester’s famed Fee Brothers (who we’ve featured before) instead of liqueur, so the ingredients will be slightly different.

I’ve seen the Irish Eyes served in martini glasses, coupes, and rocks glasses. For this riff on it, I like rocks. I'm using a KINTO HIBI 350ml Tumbler for this one. Garnish is usually a maraschino cherry, but I’m switching that up to something a bit more festive.

The addition of espresso makes this taste like you’re drinking mint chocolate chip ice cream, which is a pleasant surprise as chocolate isn’t even an ingredient in this recipe. Maybe it’s our (recommended) Beaned Up blend that aids in the chocolate flavor profile, but you’ll find that this is as easy as it is delicious.

Recipe Details

• Complexity - Low
• Serves - 1
• Prep Time - 2-3 minutes
• Cost - ($)

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1 oz crème de menthe flavored syrup
• 2 oz Heavy cream
• 1.5 oz Espresso
• Mint leaves or a chocolate coin for garnish… but why not both?

Equipment

• Glass of your choice
• Cocktail Shaker
• Jigger
• Espresso machine
• Espresso grinder
• Espresso scale
• Shot Glass
• Strainer

Step-By-Step Instructions

Assemble the Cocktail Shaker

Start by adding a healthy amount of ice to a cocktail shaker. Measure out your crème de menthe syrup and heavy cream and add them to the ice. Don’t shake it up quite yet.

Pull Your Espresso

My go-to recipe for our Beaned Up Blend is 17 grams of ground espresso pulled at a 1-to-2.5 ratio, which would be about 42 grams of liquid espresso, pulled in 24 seconds. This is usually around an ounce and a half by volume.

Ice Your Glass

Add ice to the glass, leaving room for the drink. I love using a clear block of ice when I can get some from Cristallino Premium Ice here in Rochester, NY.

Pour the Espresso

Espresso will be your first layer, yes, right on top of the ice. This is a controversial move; don’t worry. The Beaned Up Blend still presents a mocha note that cuts through the mint flavors.

Putting the espresso in first makes for some nice visual separation between the green stuff you’re about to shake and the brown espresso.

Shake the Shaker

Like any shaken cocktail, shake your ingredients until condensation begins to form on the outside of your shaker (your hand should be pretty cold too).

Strain

Using a wire mesh strainer, pour the shaken ingredients into the glass, right on top of the espresso and ice.

Garnish

The traditional Irish Eyes is garnished with a maraschino cherry, but any time I’m allowed to be more playful, I take the opportunity. I garnished this with a few mint leaves for aroma, and a chocolate coin for fun.

Photography by Grace Walker

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