Irish cream cold brew copycat recipe (non-alcoholic)

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An irish cream cold brew is cold brew coffee, irish cream syrup, and vanilla sweet cream cold foam dusted with cocoa: 8oz cold brew over ice, 1 tbsp non-alcoholic irish cream syrup, then a foam of 2oz cream, 1oz milk, and 1 tsp vanilla syrup frothed 20 seconds and poured on top. No whiskey anywhere; irish cream here is a flavor, not a liquor. The Starbucks version runs 185mg of caffeine in a grande per Caffeine Informer's cold brew tables. Home version, not the chain's formula.

The build

How to make it

1. Fill a glass with ice and pour in 8oz cold brew.
2. Stir in the irish cream syrup.
3. Froth cream, milk, and vanilla syrup together for about 20 seconds, until thickened but still pourable.
4. Float the foam over the back of a spoon and dust with cocoa powder.

Why the foam has to be underdone

Cold foam is cream stopped early. Froth past 30 seconds and you get whipped cream that sits on the surface like a raft; stop around 20 and the foam pours, floats, then slowly bleeds into the coffee so the last third of the drink turns creamy on its own. That slow merge is the entire experience of the drink. The irish cream syrup goes in the coffee, not the foam, so the first sips are boozy-flavored coffee under sweet cream.

What irish cream flavor actually is

Irish cream syrup imitates the liqueur: cream, cocoa, vanilla, and a whiskey-ish caramel note, minus alcohol. If you cannot find the syrup, 2 tsp chocolate syrup plus 1 tsp vanilla and a drop of almond extract in the coffee gets surprisingly close. The honest tradeoff in any home version is the cold brew itself: concentrate strength varies wildly, so your caffeine and body swing with your ratio; our cold brew guide nails the 1:8 starting point.

Caffeine, with sources

The store version is 145mg tall, 185mg grande, and 275mg venti per Caffeine Informer. Homemade cold brew varies with your ratio and steep, so treat 8oz of standard-strength home cold brew as broadly comparable to the store's base rather than a fixed number. More context on the Starbucks cold brew caffeine page. The FDA cites 400 milligrams a day as an amount not generally associated with dangerous effects for healthy adults (FDA). Everything on this page is information, not health advice.

The three-item kit

Irish cream syrup, a handheld frother for the foam, and a cold brew maker if you are still steeping in a jar.

Related reading

• Starbucks cold brew caffeine
• How to make cold brew
• Chocolate cream cold brew copycat
• Caffeine database hub

FAQ

Does the irish cream cold brew have alcohol? No. Irish cream here is a syrup flavor imitating the liqueur: cream, cocoa, vanilla, and a caramel note with zero alcohol, at the store and in this home build.

How much caffeine is in an irish cream cold brew? The Starbucks grande is listed at 185mg by Caffeine Informer. A homemade version depends on your cold brew ratio; a standard 1:8 brew at 8oz is in the same general range.

Why does my cold foam sink immediately? It was frothed too little or made with milk alone. Use at least 2 parts cream to 1 part milk, froth about 20 seconds, and pour it over the back of a spoon so it lands gently.