Irish Cream
Irish cream is a liqueur of fresh Irish dairy cream and Irish whiskey, sweetened and held in a stable emulsion, by the GOV.UK specification for the protected name, which also requires the island of Ireland and 15% or more. Baileys Original, first made in 1974 by the Oxford Companion’s account, is 17% ABV on its maker’s site. In our recipes it floats on the Baby Guinness, B-52 and Slippery Nipple, and gives the Shaft its body.
Quick Facts
Between 0 and 25°C, out of direct sunlight, cap on. Baileys says its bottles need no fridge; follow other brands’ labels.
Contains: milk. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Irish Cream
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet cream and Irish whiskey, with chocolate and vanilla notes.
Cream and whiskey, held in suspension
Cream and spirit separate if simply stirred together. Irish cream is homogenised so the fat stays suspended in a sweetened alcohol base containing Irish whiskey. The Oxford Companion dates Baileys to 1974 and its launch in Britain to 1975, and Baileys lists neutral spirit and Irish whiskey as its alcohol. Irish Cream is also a protected geographical indication: a liqueur of fresh Irish dairy cream and Irish whiskey, made on the island of Ireland, at 15% ABV or more.
Irish cream beside the bottles it gets confused with (Baileys figures from its own site; Warninks’ strength from Difford’s Guide’s listing; the other strengths are typical figures, and the keeping times and uses are ours)
Irish cream
- ABV
- 17% (Baileys)
- Dairy or egg
- Milk
- Keeping once opened
- To the bottle’s date; Baileys two years from bottling
- In our recipes
- Baby Guinness, B-52, Shaft
Crème de cacao
- ABV
- About 24%
- Dairy or egg
- None in most
- Keeping once opened
- A year or more
- In our recipes
- Brandy Alexander
Advocaat
- ABV
- 17.2% (Warninks)
- Dairy or egg
- Egg; some add milk
- Keeping once opened
- Fridge, to the producer’s date
- In our recipes
- Snowball
Fresh cream
- ABV
- None
- Dairy or egg
- Milk
- Keeping once opened
- Fridge, to the use-by date
- In our recipes
- White Russian
| Bottle | ABV | Dairy or egg | Keeping once opened | In our recipes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish cream | 17% (Baileys) | Milk | To the bottle’s date; Baileys two years from bottling | Baby Guinness, B-52, Shaft |
| Crème de cacao | About 24% | None in most | A year or more | Brandy Alexander |
| Advocaat | 17.2% (Warninks) | Egg; some add milk | Fridge, to the producer’s date | Snowball |
| Fresh cream | None | Milk | Fridge, to the use-by date | White Russian |
Density makes the layer
Irish cream is lighter than coffee liqueur and sambuca, so it floats on them when poured slowly over an upturned spoon. The Baby Guinness puts a 10ml head on 30ml of coffee liqueur; the B-52 stacks coffee liqueur, Irish cream and Grand Marnier in that order; the Slippery Nipple floats 25ml over 25ml of sambuca. Shaken, as in the Shaft and the Screaming Orgasm, it gives body instead of a layer.
Acid curdles it
Acid sets the milk proteins into curds on contact, and nothing reverses it. Keep it out of anything with lemon or lime, and be wary of sharp fruit juices. Coffee is mildly acidic as well, so an older bottle shaken with espresso is the likeliest to split. Coffee liqueur, chocolate, sambuca and other creams are safe company.
The date on the bottle sets its life
Baileys says its Original lasts two years from bottling, opened or unopened, at 0 to 25°C and out of direct sunlight, and that it does not need the fridge. Smaller bottles and some flavours carry shorter dates. Other brands set their own, so the label decides. A bottle that has separated, thickened or smells sour is finished.
Using Irish Cream
Usage
Floated at 10 to 25ml in shots: over coffee liqueur in the Baby Guinness and B-52, over sambuca in the Slippery Nipple. Shaken at 12.5 to 15ml in the Screaming Orgasm and the Shaft, and drizzled at 15ml over a Stout Float. Keep it away from citrus.
Pro Tip
Check an opened bottle before shaking it with coffee. Cream near or past its date curdles against the acid in espresso, where a fresh bottle holds together.
Top Tips
- Pour a float over the back of an upturned spoon held just over the surface, slowly.
- Chill the shot glass and the bottles before layering, as our shot recipes do.
- Read the date on the back label. Baileys sets it at two years from bottling for its Original.
- Keep lemon, lime and sharp juices out of any drink that contains it.
Possible Substitutions
- Cream: With a barspoon each of whiskey and sugar: a rough stand-in, made fresh
Production Method
Fresh Irish dairy cream homogenised into a sweetened spirit base that contains Irish whiskey, so the cream stays in suspension on the shelf. Baileys names neutral spirit and Irish whiskey as its alcohol.
More to explore
Common Questions
How long does Irish cream last once opened?
Does Baileys need to be refrigerated?
How strong is Irish cream?
Does Irish cream contain dairy or gluten?
Why does Irish cream float in a shot?
Why does Irish cream curdle?
What drinks use Irish cream?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- Baileys, “Frequently Asked Questions” (producer’s FAQ (shelf life, storage, alcohol, gluten, dairy)).
- Baileys, “Baileys Original Irish Cream” (producer’s product page (17%; milk)).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Tony Sachs), “cream liqueurs” (secondary source: Baileys Irish Cream, the first cream liqueur, born in 1974 at Gilbey’s of Ireland; launched in Britain in 1975 and the United States in 1977).
- GOV.UK (Defra), “Irish Cream: protected spirit drink name”.
- GOV.UK (Defra), “Irish Cream technical file” (product specification (PDF)).
- Difford’s Guide, “Advocaat (Eierlikör)” (secondary source: Warninks 17.2%, Bols 20%).
From the Guides
Made with Irish Cream
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026