Travel buzz: Airport's Irish coffee doesn't meet 'high' standards

I'ts a lame excuse: Saying there's new staff some of them foreigners at Shannon Airport (Starbucks TRAIN their people. It's menus of Coffees and Cappuchinos more complex than our beloved Irish Coffee) I worked at a five star resort in The Bahamas. My jaw dropped on what was being prepared and served as Irish Coffee and made IMMEDIATE changes (they swirled 'cream' from an aerosol as though it was an ice-cream sundae and placed a tea-spoon next to the glass!!!) I asked the purpose of the spoon? "So the guest can stir it..sir". PLUS the coffees were made haphazardly in the kitchen not in the Restaurant. Five Star? STIR Irish Coffee? No.No.No. An evenings training is all it took. Irish Coffees made table-side over an open flame: Warm the glass. Add sugar to guests preference by asking 'one spoon or two?' Add hot coffee and stir. Warm Irish Whiskey in silver ladle over flame. Add warm Whiskey to coffee. Top up with hot coffee if required to within an inch of rim. Stir gently. Pour cream onto coffee over the back of a teaspoon to prevent it sinking using rim of glass as guide. Serve on side-plate to guest. NO SPOON. Inform guest that drinking the hot coffee through the cool cream is part of the pleasure and the tradition (Sales increased) Airports are not 'five-star' granted. Nor is there time for the ritual. The basics are not rocket science. Hot Coffee.Sugar. Whiskey. Cream. Standards slip. They can be put back on track. Training the key. I agree wholeheartedly with Clare County Council that this issue is "critical to tourism and the region's reputation" Much ado about nothing? Pay fifteen dollars at a five-star operation for a tepid milkshake called an Irish Coffee? I created a few variations on the theme 'Calypso Coffee' using Cockspur Rum it being a tropical island. But that's another story. Slainte.

Seems to me that the airport authorities should make a trip to the Buena Vista in San Francisco, where they have served as many as 2,000 Irish Coffees in a single day! They made the trip to Shannon airport in 1952 to make sure that they were on the right track. Been there... had Irish Coffee.. went back.. returned... revisited...one more time... and another. I got frequent traveler miles on the cable cars thst week. Actually, only had one IC in my life that I didn't like, and it was OK. Change whisky.

Having just been in Shannon Airport (4/15/10), I was very disappointed with the coffee upon arrival. However, being in Ireland for the first time, more than made up for it! I can't wait to come back "home" to Ireland again! I absolutely loved Ireland and it's wonderful people! God Bless!