Put a little luck of the Irish in your morning coffee with this Mint Irish Latte. Crème de Menthe is combined with Baileys Irish Cream in a chocolate and sprinkles rimmed glass, rich espresso and frothy milk is then poured over the top. Add some vanilla whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles to finish it off with a touch of magic! The best way to drink coffee this St Patrick’s Day!
St Patrick’s Day is such a fun holiday, don’t you think? It’s a great excuse to just let your hair down and have fun, and that 1/16 of Irish you have in you comes out to party! My family on my dad’s side was Irish, but despite that and living in the UK my whole life I have only been to Ireland once, which is just terrible I know. I definitely want to go back, it’s such a beautiful country with so much to explore. Have you been to Ireland? Where would you recommend visiting?
One of my favourite things to come out of Ireland though is the Irish Coffee – although I prefer the less traditional version of Baileys in coffee rather than regular whiskey. I’ve taken it even further from tradition with Mint Irish Latte – adding Crème to Menthe for a delicious minty taste, espresso and lots of milk. Traditional Irish Coffee is topped with fresh cream that hasn’t been whipped, but we like indulgence here at Giraffes Can Bake so I add some vanilla and whipped the cream. The chocolate and sprinkles rim, and rainbow sprinkles on top are just for added fun – after all, we are celebrating!
The idea for this Mint Irish Latte was actually inspired by one of my favourite shots, it’s called a Paddy Whack and I enjoyed a few too many during my time at University. I will be sharing the recipe for that very soon! The mint and Baileys Irish Cream combo is a real winner though – adding it a latte was just inevitable in my world, I definitely recommend you welcome it into yours. This Mint Irish Latte is not only a fun and delicious way to start or end your St Patrick’s Day, it would also be perfect for Christmas. Yes, yes, I know it’s not even March yet as I type this – but that doesn’t mean I can’t plan ahead! Just imagine enjoying the minty, boozy deliciousness of this Mint Irish Latte in front of a roaring fire while it gently snows outside and you can hear Santa’s sleigh bells ringing in the distance.
Okay, let’s come back to March time! St Patrick’s Day isn’t quite as big of a party in the UK as it is in the US, unless of course you are Irish! That’s not to say we don’t enjoy it, us Brits love a good party – we just don’t seem to dye our food and drink green as much (the Shamrock Shake is still a bit of a mystery to me – what flavour even is it?!). St Patrick’s Day tends to fall around the Six Nations, which is a rugby tournament that England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy compete in, and the England v Ireland game just so happens to fall on St Patrick’s Day weekend this year! So, as an England Rugby fan, I may be enjoying a few Mint Irish Lattes, but I certainly won’t be too far gone into the Irish spirit! Fingers crossed I won’t be jinxing my team by enjoying an Irish inspired drink on game day!
Mint Irish Latte
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 Lattes
Crème de Menthe is combined with Baileys Irish Cream in a chocolate and sprinkles rimmed glass, rich espresso and frothy milk is then poured over the top. Add some vanilla whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles to finish it off with a touch of magic! The best way to drink coffee this St Patrick’s Day!
Ingredients
- 2oz/ 60g milk chocolate
- 2 tbsp green sprinkles
- 1 cup / 240ml double (heavy) cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup / 4oz / 120ml Créme de Menthe
- 1 cup / 6oz / 240ml Irish Cream (I use Baileys)
- 3/4 cup / 180ml hot espresso (or strong brewed coffee)
- 2 1/3 cups / 545ml hot foamed milk*
- 1-2 tbsp rainbow sprinkles
Equipment needed:
- 4 x 300ml latte glasses
- Clean mixing bowl
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld electric beaters
- Piping bag
- Star piping tip (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl in the microwave, stir after 30 seconds and check every 10 seconds thereafter.
- Put the green sprinkles on a small plate.
- Dip the rim of each glass into the chocolate, making sure the outer edge is covered, then dip and in the sprinkles to coat.
- Add the cream and vanilla to your mixing bowl, and using your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld electric beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form (cream will be fluffy and hold it's shape, but not completely stiff).
- Spoon into piping bag fitted with star tip (or just snip off the end if not using a tip) and set aside somewhere cool.
- Pour 1oz/30ml of Créme de Menthe into each glass, followed by 2oz/60ml of Irish Cream into each glass.
- Add 3 tbsp/1.5oz/45ml espresso into each glass, and top each one up with hot milk.
- Pipe whipped cream on top and sprinkle your rainbow sprinkles on top
- Serve immediately
Notes
* If you don't have a milk frother, you can make foamy, frothy milk by putting it in a large jar and shaking vigorously for 30 seconds or until it has almost doubled in size. Then heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (check after 90-120 seconds to ensure it doesn't boil over).
Recipe can be halved or doubled as needed.
Courses Drinks
Are there big St Patrick’s Day celebrations where you live? How do you like to celebrate it? Can I tempt you with a few Mint Irish Lattes at the very least? They’re delicious, full of Irish inspiration and so much fun! Plus, they couldn’t be easier to make – you don’t even need a fancy milk steamer to get that frothy latte milk! I use my Aeroccino to foam my milk, but you can get the same effect just by putting your milk in a large jar, shaking it vigorously for about 30 seconds until it doubles in size, then heat it up in the microwave – so easy!
St. Patty’s Day can’t get here soon enough! This looks soo good. As in, might have to test it out a few times before St. Pat’s kind of good. Pinned!
Thank you Karly! I think some testing is definitely in order 😉