Ireland is home to some of the world’s favourite food and beverages, with amazing non-alcoholic and alcoholic Irish drinks to sample. Guinness is famous of course, as is classic Irish breakfast tea and creamy, boozy coffees.
If you can’t visit here right now, you can still learn more about how the must-try coffee styles, tea, sodas or what cocktails locals are ordering in bars – and maybe even try making some of these authentic tipples at home!
Popular Irish Drinks
1. Guinness
Guinness is probably the most famous Irish drink! It has been brewed at St. James’s Gate in Dublin since 1759.
This creamy delicious stout is loved throughout the world, but only in Ireland can you get the real thing. The magic about Guinness is that its all in the pour if the bartender knows what they’re doing you’ll get a nice creamy head, no bitterness, and some hints of coffee!
2. Tea
Whether its Lyons, Barry, or Bewleys, the Irish love their tea, always served hot and never cold.
Start your morning with a cup of tea, have a cup on your lunch, and sit by the fire with a cup in the evening. The number of cups of tea the Irish consume is endless! But which Irish tea brand is the best? Depends on who you ask, but you’ll be sure to enter into a debate about tea if you bring up this topic in Ireland!
3. Baileys
Baileys is an Irish cream liqueur, this delicious drink is flavoured with cream, cocoa, and, of course, Irish whiskey.
Sweet, indulgent, and perfect for after dinner, its best enjoyed over the Christmas period or on cold winter evenings snuggled up to the fire.
4. Smithwick’s
Smithwick’s is an Irish red ale-style beer and is the most consumed ale in Ireland. It is also home to Ireland’s oldest brewery, Smithwick’s has been brewing beer since 1710.
Brewed with mild hops, sweet malt, and roasted barley, Smithwick’s has a taste of light malty sweetness and with hints of hops, caramel, and toasted grains.
5. Irish Coffee
Who says coffee has to be boring? This hot coffee consists of Irish whiskey, sugar, and topped with cream!
It has a deep rich flavor from the strong coffee, a sweet flavor from the sugar and the coffee is always drank through the cream. This drink served all day at restaurants enjoy it in the morning as a kick-start or after dinner as a sweet treat!
Recipe by Supervalu
6. Bulmers Cider
Referred to as Magner’s outside of Ireland, this is a beloved Irish cider. You’ll find bottles of these at any Irish bbq or just on warm summer days.
This refreshing light and super bubbly cider is produced in Tipperary from 17 varieties of apples.
7. Baby Guinness
This is a beloved shot in Ireland; but despite the name it actually doesn’t have any Guinness in it.
Baby Guinness contains Kahlua topped with Bailey’s and looks like a mini Guinness, hence the name. These shots are super sweet, so you don’t want to have too many!