I love giving homemade gifts at the holidays—especially drinkable ones—and I’d never made homemade Irish cream before. **I knew that even those who might forgo the commercial stuff wouldn’t be able to resist it if it were made from scratch, and by a friend.** It turns out to be spectacularly straightforward—especially if you use a blender instead of a whisk. Making Irish cream at home also allows for control over the flavor and the alcohol content. I like to keep it pretty simple, with the flavor of the whiskey in the foreground, and just a teaspoon each of espresso powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. But there’s no reason not to play with recipe to your taste: I’ve heard of the addition of almond extract, or honey, or nutmeg.
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<br />Your homemade Irish cream won’t have the same, leisurely shelf life as the bottled stuff. It’ll keep in the fridge for about a week. But don’t worry about it: Odds are it won’t make it past Christmas night.

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