THE IRISH COFFEE STORY
The historic venture started on the night of November
the 10th in 1952. Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, challenged
international travel writer Stanton Delaplane to help re-create a highly
touted "Irish Coffee" served at Shannon Airport in Ireland.
Intrigued, Stan Accepted Jack’s invitation, and the pair began
to experiment immediately.
Throughout the night the two of them stirred and sipped
judiciously and eventually acknowledged two recurring problems. The
taste was "not quite right," and the cream would not float.
Stan’s hopes sank like the cream, but Jack was undaunted. The restaurateur
pursued the elusive elixir with religious fervor, even making a pilgrimage
overseas to Shannon Airport.
Upon Jack’s return, the experimentation continued.
Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey was selected. Then the problem
of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco’s mayor, a
prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged
for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as
delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack’s and Stan’s special
nectar.
Success was theirs! With the recipe now mastered, a sparkling
clear, six-ounce, heat-treated goblet was chosen as a suitable chalice.
Soon the fame of the Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee spread
throughout the land. Today, it’s still the same delicious mixture,
and it’s still the same clamorous, cosmopolitan Buena Vista. Both…delightful
experiences.
