Name: Irish Cream Iced Coffee Mocktail
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 43 min
Ingredients: ¼ Cup Water; ¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar; ½ Cup Heavy Cream; 4 Teaspoons Irish Cream Syrup; 8 Ounces Black Coffee (Cold); 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar Simple Syrup; ¼ Cup Irish Whipped Cream; Chocolate Sprinkles or Sweetened Cocoa Powder

Irish Cream Iced Coffee Mocktail is slightly sweet and deliciously creamy. Cold black coffee is sweetened with brown sugar syrup, poured over ice, and topped with Irish Cream flavored whipped cream. This Irish coffee recipe is non-alcoholic, but several tipsy versions are listed in the variations of this recipe.

Portrait view of a tall, iced, black coffee is sweetened with dark brown sugar and topped with fluffy Irish cream flavored whipped cream.

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Do you miss Starbuck's Irish Cream Cold Brew Coffee? I know I do! But this is not a copycat recipe of that famous drink. Instead, it more closely resembles a cold version of a true Irish Coffee, just without the alcohol.

Jump to:

What is an Irish Coffee?
What is a Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew Coffee?
Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
How to Make Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Why Do I Need Brown Sugar Simple Syrup?
What Coffee Should I Use?
How to Make the Irish Cream Flavored Cream
How to Assemble the Irish Cream Iced Coffee Mocktail
My Top Tips
Variations and Substitutions
More Great Drinks You Might Like
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

What is an Irish Coffee?

A true Irish Coffee is made by placing two sugar cubes in a 6-ounce goblet, followed by adding 3 ½ ounces of hot brewed coffee and a generous shot of Irish whiskey. The cocktail is then topped with a float of heavy cream poured gently over the back of a spoon. Yumm!

If you visit San Francisco, a "must-see" is The Buena Vista which is at the bottom of Hyde Street near the cable car turn-around. The BV is a world-famous landmark and where the American version of Irish Coffee was invented in 1952.

Seriously, this is the best Irish Coffee, hands down, I have ever had. Years ago, I worked just down the street on Hyde for a small food service company, and my colleagues and I would go to lunch at The BV. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was truly a marvel to see the bartender make dozens of Irish Coffees in quick succession!

What is a Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew Coffee?

A Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew is made with:

cold brewed coffee sweetened with Irish cream syrup
Vanilla Sweet Cream (heavy cream, sweetened, and flavored with vanilla)
dusting of cocoa powder.

So, the very first time I had a Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew, I couldn't help but compare it to the famous hot version at The BV. Whiskey aside, both versions have sweetened coffee and both versions have a float of heavy cream. Oh, and of course, The BV version is hot and the Starbucks Irish Cream is ice cold.

Why This Recipe Works

This Irish cream iced coffee mocktail is a fusion recipe between a true Irish Coffee and a Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew Coffee. It has the flavor of Irish Cream but contains no alcohol.

I created this recipe based on how I wanted my Irish coffee mocktail to taste. I didn't want an exact copycat recipe and I wanted the coffee to be slightly sweet with butterscotch overtones and the cream to be sweet but not too sweet. Lastly, it needed to taste delicious cold or hot.

My version begins with a 10 to 12-ounce glass filled with ice. Next, I mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar simple syrup with cold black coffee and pour it over the ice. Lastly, I spoon the Irish Cream on top of the coffee, where it will float for about 10 minutes. As the cream sits atop the coffee, it will begin to ooze down into the drink.

So, simply put, we have brown sugar simple syrup, dark brewed cold coffee, and a soft float of Irish Cream. Are you ready to make the best coffee drink ever?

Great! So, let's cook!

Ingredients

For this Irish coffee recipe, you will need:

Dark Brown Sugar - You will be making a simple syrup with dark brown sugar and water. Dark brown sugar will give rich caramel flavors to the coffee and by using a simple syrup you will avoid a sludge of sugar in the bottom of the glass.

Water - Use tap or plain bottled water.

Black Brewed Coffee - You can purchase already made cold brew coffee at the grocery store or make hot coffee with a French press and allow it to cool. You can also make instant coffee using instant espresso powder.

Heavy Cream - Heavy cream will float on the top of the coffee. Do not substitute single or light cream.

Irish Cream Flavored Syrup - This is the secret to getting that famous "Irish Cream Flavor".

Chocolate Sprinkles - This makes this coffee mocktail "pretty".

How to Make Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

Adding brown sugar to water in a saucepan.

Brown sugar and water in a small saucepan.

Step 1 - Add water to a small saucepan.

Step 2 - Add packed brown sugar to the water.

Stirring water and brown sugar in a saucepan.

Brown sugar simple syrup coming to a boil.

Step 3 - Over medium heat, stir the brown sugar and water solution until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 4 - Continue to cook the syrup until it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool. The brown sugar simple syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Why Do I Need Brown Sugar Simple Syrup?

If you are making a hot version of this drink, you can stir in a tablespoon of dark brown sugar into the hot coffee and it will melt and sweeten your drink.

But brown sugar will not dissolve well into cold coffee and a layer of brown sugar crystals will fall to the bottom of the glass.

Using a simple syrup ensures the drink is evenly sweetened and you avoid a goopy layer of sugar at the bottom of the glass.

What Coffee Should I Use?

You can use any type of black coffee in this recipe as long as it is cooled down or cold. I have used drip-brewed, French press, instant espresso, and, of course, cold brew. Each of these methods of making coffee will give you a delicious result. Just be sure the coffee is cool before you add it to your glass of ice and brown sugar simple syrup.

How to Make the Irish Cream Flavored Cream

Pouring heavy cream into a small glass bowl.

Adding Irish Cream flavored syrup to heavy cream.

Step 5 - Add cold heavy cream to a small bowl.

Step 6 - Add Irish cream syrup to the heavy cream.

A small wire whisk is used to whip the Irish Cream.

The Irish cream is thickened but not whipped.

Step 7 - Use a whisk or a small fork and whip the cream just until it is thickened.

Step 8 - The cream will be thickened, when it falls slowly off a spoon and creates soft shapes.

How to Assemble the Irish Cream Iced Coffee Mocktail

Cold coffee and brown sugar simple syrup is poured over ice in a glass.

Mix together two tablespoons of brown sugar simple syrup with cold coffee and pour it over ice in a tall glass.

Irish cream is spooned on top of a sweetened and iced black coffee.

Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the Irish Cream on top of the coffee.

Two iced coffees with sprinkles in a kitchen.

Garnish with chocolate sprinkles.

My Top Tips

♡ Make Everything in Advance. Make each of the components of this recipe, the coffee, the brown sugar simple syrup, and the Irish cream in advance. Keep them in the refrigerator until you want a coffee and then you can make an Irish Cream Coffee quickly, anytime you want.

♡ Other Uses for Brown Sugar Syrup. The brown sugar simple syrup recipe makes ½ cup of syrup, which is enough for 4 drinks. You might like your coffee a little sweeter. So, I scaled the recipe for the syrup to be generous. Left-over brown sugar simple syrup is delicious over French toast, pancakes, or waffles!

Variations and Substitutions

Add Whiskey - This Irish cream beverage does not have any liquor, but of course, it would be very delicious if you add your favorite whiskey. Simply add your chosen whiskey to the sweetened black coffee and before you add the Irish cream topping.

Add Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur - If you want to amp up the coffee flavor in this drink, just add a shot of Kahlúa and you have a super delicious variation of a Black Russian cocktail.

A hot coffee beverage in a footed mug topped with lightly whipped cream. A french press coffee maker is half full with coffee in the background.

Make It Hot - Instead of pouring cold coffee over ice, use hot coffee and a heatproof mug. For the hot version, you might consider whipping the cream a little longer so that the cream forms soft peaks. This lets the Irish cream float a little easier on top of the hot coffee.

Substitute Irish Cream Syrup - The coffee will have a bolder Irish Cream flavor if you add a couple of tablespoons of the Irish cream flavored syrup to the coffee instead of the brown sugar simple syrup.

Two iced coffees with a whipped cream topping and chocolate sprinkles. A French press coffee maker is in the background and a peach colored bowl with tracings of whipped cream is in the foreground.

Whether you make it iced or hot... or with or without your favorite liquor, this homemade version of a coffee house favorite will delight you!

Irish Cream Iced Coffee Mocktail