Irish Coffee Day

This Saturday, July 28^th, is a holiday worth celebrating. Which holiday you ask? Why it’s Irish Coffee Day and it’s an official holiday in the City and County of San Francisco. But why not November 10^th? Isn’t that Irish coffee’s real birthday? Let’s explore a little history.

 On July 28, 1849, the first clipper ship arrived in San Francisco. The S.S. Memnon had sailed from New York in only 120 days. Blazing speed when you consider it could take six months for traditional sailing ships to make the same run around Cape Horn. The ship’s mission was to resupply the good people of San Francisco with "the necessities of civilization" - coffee and Irish whiskey.

Fast forward around 100 years and let’s talk about the modern Irish coffee. It was the late 1940s, and Stanton Delaplane found himself stranded in Dublin at Shannon Airport. It was a miserable and stormy winter night and all flights were grounded. An unnamed bartender served a group of tired American travelers hot coffee mixed with Irish whiskey and topped with dollop of cream. Stanton was a well-known travel writer and San Francisco resident.

 Back home, Stanton couldn’t get that wonderful coffee drink off his mind. So on November 10, 1952, Stanton and his friend Jack Koeppler (owner of the Buena Vista Café) set out to perfect the drink Delaplane had enjoyed on that stormy Irish night.  Armed with strong black coffee and bottles of good Irish they went to work. They tried again and again and again but it just wasn’t right. They worked all night until they passed out. One problem they faced was that the cream wouldn’t float on the coffee. San Francisco mayor (and dairy owner) George Christopher suggested that they age the cream for 48 hours. Success! The drink became a San Francisco institution.

 Just one year ago, on Irish Coffee Day, Liz and I sat down at a table in the very same Buena Vista Café – maybe even the very table where Koeppler and Delaplane had sat just 59 years earlier. We ordered Irish coffees and with a toast founded the Historic Eating and Drinking Society. From those humble beginnings, the HEAD Society has grown to fifty-three card carrying members and a vast number of associates.

Want to join the HEAD Society? Explore the Bay Area’s food and drink history? It’s easy, just attend any HEAD Trip and your Co-Grand Poo-Bahs will present you with your (highly prized) life-time membership card.

 The next Society adventure will celebrate both HEAD-A-Versary and Irish Coffee Day on Saturday, July 28 at the historic Buena Vista Café (2765 Hyde St.). We’ll order the first round at 7pm.

See you there!