If you don’t have any Irish whiskey in your house, you may need to go get some RIGHT NOW. Because you’re going to need to make this Irish whiskey caramel sauce.

Don’t worry if you’ve never made caramel before — it’s not that hard and it only takes about 15 minutes. You do need to stay nearby while it’s cooking, though.

Have you ever had an Irish coffee? The first time I had one, I was with a friend at some older couple’s house somewhere in north London. I don’t really remember why we were there or what we had for dinner, but I remember the man asking if I wanted an Irish coffee. I said yes, partly because I didn’t really know what it was. Then I took a sip… and hated it. I need a lot of sugar in my coffee. But of course I had to drink it anyway.

This is a bit different than a real Irish coffee… because it has a lot of sugar. The whiskey taste is still there, but it’s just a hint in the delightful caramel. And, of course, you’re using coffee ice cream instead of actual coffee.

We had this for breakfast today. Is that wrong?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Irish whiskey sundaes (Adapted ever-so-slightly from Gourmet Comfort)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coffee ice cream

Place sugar and water in a small or medium heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Once sugar has dissolved, boil the mixture without stirring until it turns golden (about 5 minutes). When golden, swirl the pan a bit and keep boiling until the syrup is the color of caramel.

Take pan off heat and CAREFULLY add the whiskey, cream and salt (the caramel will bubble, steam and harden). Turn the burner down to medium-low and return the pan to the heat. Stir and continue cooking at a simmer until everything is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to warm (you don’t want it boiling or it will totally melt the ice cream).

Scoop ice cream into serving bowls or coffee mugs and top with warm caramel to serve. Enjoy immediately.

(Sauce can be chilled and stored for a week)