03/09/2021
Baileys is of course the most famous and is the only Irish cream to make it onto every list of the top liqueurs, and there is definitely good reason for its popularity.
Baileys
Baileys was the first Irish cream to appear, gracing the world of liqueurs in 1973, and many argue that its richness and warm notes of honey and vanilla are unrivaled by any other cream liqueur available. While the exact recipe is a well kept secret, we do know that Baileys opts for cocoa extract, sugar and herbs as the main other ingredients alongside the whiskey and cream. The proof of Baileys’ widespread popularity is in the numbers: Since its invention 48 years ago, it is estimated that a staggering 1,250,000,000 bottles of Baileys have been sold, and if all have been drunk, that means that roughly 12 billion glasses of the delicious liqueur have been enjoyed the world over.
In an article for the Irish Times, Dave Gluckman shares the incredible story of how he and his partner Hugh Reade Seymore-Davies created the drink. He describes the wave of excitement at the prospect of their idea to mix dairy and whiskey that took them to a small shop where they bought a bottle of Jamesons Irish Whiskey and a tub of single cream. In their kitchen, they mixed the two and tasted the creation, which Gluckman admits was ‘bloody awful’, but an intriguing substance nonetheless. Their enthusiasm unfazed by the taste, they sweetened the mixture with some sugar which was a step in the right direction. The final touch though, the redeeming piece de resistance, was the Cadbury’s Powdered Drinking Chocolate which turned the concoction into a winning formula. After pitching it, branding and developing the recipe, Baileys was born.
Unlike most other liqueurs, Irish cream has a high dairy and sugar content so you have to be careful about how you store the bottle before and especially after it’s been opened to avoid it going off. The alcohol in the liqueur does act as a natural preservative, so refrigerating the bottle is a good way to keep it fresh but is not a necessity. Do make sure to reseal the bottle tightly and keep your Irish cream out of warm locations and don’t expose it to any kind of heat.
In terms of shelf life, once a bottle has been opened, it can be kept for up to 2 years, however the quality will decline, so aiming for a benchmark of 6 months to 1 year is recommended. If you notice any kind of change in the smell, consistency, colour or taste, err on the side of caution and throw the bottle away.
NB: BEST SERVED CHILLED
DRINK RESPONSIBLY
credit: European Bartender School
