After dinner, on a cold winter’s evening, there’s nothing better than a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream, and if you don’t happen to have a bottle at home, you can make your own easily. It won’t take more than 10 minutes and it’s ready to drink as soon as you make it. My husband thinks the homemade version is better than the original. So do I. The beauty of this recipe is that you can tinker with it. If you want it creamier, add more cream, a little boozier, add more whiskey. You get the idea.

I have read that this keeps anywhere from two weeks to two months in the refrigerator. Ours will definitely not last that long.

Homemade Irish Cream
Recipe adapted slightly from Martha Stewart

1 cup heavy cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Irish whiskey (I used Jameson’s)

Sift the cocoa powder into the bottom of a pitcher and add a splash of cream. Mix these together until a thick paste forms. If you want to skip the sifting step, make sure that you mix all of the lumps out of the cocoa powder. Once you have a paste, add the rest of the cream in a couple of batches, mixing after each pour. When the cream and cocoa mixture is smooth, add the vanilla, whiskey and condensed milk. Voila, you’re ready to serve!

I serve mine on the rocks. Enjoy!

Yield: ~ 8 servings (not quite four cups of Irish Cream)

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