The story
In the early 1940s Foynes, on the Shannon estuary, was Ireland's transatlantic flying-boat base. One winter night in 1943, the usual account goes, a flight to America turned back in bad weather, and chef Joe Sheridan, working for catering manager Brendan O'Regan, warmed the chilled passengers with coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar under a layer of cream. Coffee and spirits had met before, as in the French gloria, but this version stuck. After flights moved to nearby Shannon Airport, travel writer Stanton Delaplane tasted it there and in 1952 helped San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe start serving it. Sheridan himself later moved to work at the Buena Vista.
Rival claims
Similar coffee-and-spirit drinks existed earlier (e.g. the French 'gloria'); Shannon Airport, about 15 km away, later took over the tradition.
Also known as caife Gaelach, Gaelic coffee.
On the Meridish menu
Irish coffee was the aperitif course on menu No. 28 on October 28, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Hot coffee, whiskey and brown sugar under a float of cream. A chef first served it in 1943 to chilled passengers whose flying boat had turned back in a storm.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
