"Irish coffee is beautifully ephemeral. There’s something in the brief moment where the cool of the cream hits your lips just before the warm, boozy coffee enters the picture."
1 tablespoon demerara sugar (brown sugar also works)
1 2 to 3-inch strip of lemon peel with no white pith
1 ounce heavy cream
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
5 ounces piping hot, but not scalding hot, coffee
1½ ounces Irish whiskey
Note: use a vegetable peeler to peel the lemon strip so you have no white pith.
Combine the demerara sugar and lemon peel in an Irish coffee mug or a regular coffee mug, using a spoon to smash the lemon peel into the sugar a bit. Set this aside for about 5 minutes to let the sugar pull the citrus oils out of the peel.
Whip the heavy cream with the granulated sugar until it is thickened but still soft (I shake the cream in a sealed jar until it has thickened). Keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Next, pour the coffee into the cup with the lemon peel and demerara, add the Irish whiskey, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Top with the whipped cream and enjoy.