Thoughts on an Irish Coffee and Education
Have you ever made an Irish Coffee?
If you have, you know the recipe is simple. If not, there are four ingredients you need, but you can make do with three. Black coffee, whiskey, and heavy whipped cream. It is simple as adding whiskey into coffee and finishing it off with heavy whipped cream on top. That is it, there is nothing complicated about making an Irish Coffee.
Now, if you want a proper Irish Coffee, there are likely a few more steps. For example, if you go to The Buena Vista in San Francisco, oh my friend, you are in for a treat. The process here is a show, not just a simple coffee making process where one adds alcohol, oh no. It is far more than just that.
First, there are bartenders who seem to only make Irish Coffee. They are at the bar with lines of clear coffee cups ready to go, up to 20 at a time. The process, if you watch start to finish is a work of art. First, the cups are filled with hot water to warm them. Then, the water is dumped out and a shot and a half (ish) of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey is added, if there are twenty glasses, they use the entire bottle. They only use Tullamore Dew for their coffees. Following the whiskey comes coffee. The cup is filled ¾’s full. I have heard that they use Peerless Coffee and Tea Breakfast Blend from the Oakland, California coffee roaster company Peerless Coffee and Tea. This is followed by adding lightly whipped heavy cream to the cup. Then, the finished coffee is served to you table. The Irish Coffee is quite tasty, and I highly recommend that you visit the The Buena Vista in San Francisco, California if you are there.
To be perfectly honest, I can make Irish Coffee’s at my home. I have a bottle of Tullamore Dew, and a couple other whiskeys that do work. I have good coffee. I even have heavy whipped cream. I brew up some coffee, whip the cream, and throw it all in a glass. Easy enough to do on my own and make a perfectly good drink. Frankly, I can make one that I prefer more. Why? Because I can tailor it to my own taste and preference in a way that a business cannot easily accommodate.
One might wonder, what does the making of alcoholic drinks have to do with education. The science and the art of it all.
There is a recipe for making Irish Coffee’s readily available online or in most bartending drink making books. Just like in education, there are different teaching models, styles, and ways of teaching. Recipes is a bit simplistic, but it is a suitable word. We follow patterns of teaching, models, and well, recipes for how to teach various subjects. They are all perfectly suitable ways of teaching. And frankly, most people could be taught how to follow one of these recipes to educate people. Most of you reading this far are objecting to this, and with good reason.
The recipe only gets us so far. As with everything, we can deliver a perfectly suitable lesson with a set of instructions, guides, or, as it were, the recipe for success. Whether these are lessons from another educator, professionally designed, or simply our own lessons patterned to follow specific curricular standards. The lessons can be good. And educators to present good lessons using this model.
The art comes from what we do with these recipes. How do we take the guides, instructions, models, and make them our own? How do we adjust the material to suit the needs of our students? What do we take into consideration as we adjust so that our lessons meet the needs of the students we teach? This is where the true art form comes into play. This is where we see educators who are excelling in online learning putting forth incredible lessons and materials online. They are producing spectacular presentations and displays online. They are creating an experience.
Here is the secret though, their style and lessons may not work for you. They do not fit your style of teaching, or your students need. They may have skills and abilities that you don’t have. They are creating material that may not meet the needs of your students. Simply look at some of the good material that has been posted, and the discussions surrounding the material. There is some conflict in education about what good material is right now.
You do not have to be an amazing educator right now. Your online lessons need to be consistent and well planned. You do not have to meet the standard of some other person who is doing amazing work online. You need to teach quality material to your students, connect with them regularly as a human, and continue to be consistent in your instruction. There is nothing complicated to that. You need to be the best self you can be. Let those who are amazing, be amazing. You provide a solid experience for your students and remain connected. That is more than enough this year. Try something new now and then but keep presenting your best material in a way that is effective for you.
The Buena Vista has been successful over the years because they deliver not just a good Irish Coffee, but an experience. Their model works for them and they have capitalized on it. I heard about the bar with the Irish Coffee’s and lines of cups from my father-in-law who experienced it many years ago. When I went there, I saw something remarkably similar when I recently visited. It works for them. If another place were to try to do the same thing, it might work, it might not. That all depends on the person who tried to copy the model.
As educators, we have to look at our students. We have to make adjustments to our own teaching and do the things that work for us. We can not simply copy the next best thing and assume it will work. As you are on break, watching videos and online lessons, take this into consideration. What you are seeing may not work for you. It may be amazing, but it may not fit your style and personality. If it doesn’t, ask how you can change it and make adjustments so that it does fit your style and meets the needs of your students.
And at this time, remember to rest. You have worked hard this fall. Online teaching, or teaching under COVID conditions is harder than normal teaching conditions. Rest and recover. Reach out if you need support. Most importantly, take care of yourself to be the best for your students. If you are not healthy, you will not be the best educator for your students. They need you during this difficult time.
And I have provided a version of my recipe for Irish Coffee below if you are so inclined to sit back, relax, and enjoy a hot beverage.
Irish Coffee Recipe (My Version)
1.5 shots of Irish Whiskey (a good mixing whiskey)
Hot Coffee (a good dark coffee is my preference)
Whipped Cream (I prefer heavy whipped cream and making it myself to taste)
Sugar Cubes (optional)
Get one cup. Add Hot Water to warm the cup. Dump the water out add whiskey. Add hot coffee to fill it to about three quarters full. Add sugar cubes if you want a sweeter coffee. Top with whipped cream. You can adjust any of the ingredients to taste or based on how strong your day was.
Also, visit The Buena Vista in San Francisco, California. They are a great business and will provide you with a memorable experience while you visit.
