Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur

Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur recipes

Baileys Irish Cream was created by Gilbeys of Ireland, they discovered the lack of an Irish Cream liqueur on the market and begasn to develop one in 1971, by 1974 Bailey's irish cream liqueur was released and quickly became the best of the best of creme de la creme. It can be compared to other cream liqueurs such as Amarula, Carolans and Sangster's.

Baileys was the first liqueur to use cream and alcohol together in a manner sufficiently stable to allow commercial distribution. The alcohol in Baileys is produced from a bacterial fermentation of whey. The cream and alcohol, together with some whiskey are homogenized to form an emulsion, with the aid of an emulsifier containing refined vegetable oil. This process prevents separation of the whiskey and cream during storage. The quantity of other ingredients is not known but they include chocolate, vanilla, caramel and sugar.

According to the manufacturer no preservatives are required as the alcohol content preserves the cream.

The cream used in the drink comes from Glanbia, a major player in the Irish dairy market. Glanbia's Virginia facility in County Cavan produces a range of fat-filled milk powders and fresh cream. It has been the principal cream supplier to Baileys Irish Cream Liqueurs for more than thirty years

According to the manufacturer, Baileys has a shelf life of 30 months. It should be stored between 5 and 25 degrees Celsius, or 41 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Baileys Irish Cream can be drunk by itself, over ice, or as part of a cocktail.

Baileys Coffee is made using a measure of Baileys in a cup of coffee.

In 2005 Baileys launched mint chocolate and crème caramel variants of its Irish Cream at 17% ABV. They were originally released in UK airports and were subsequently released in the mass market of the UK, US, Australia and Canada in 2006. In 2008 Baileys, after the success of previous flavour variants, released a coffee variant of its Irish Cream with an ABV of 17%. The company is currently trialling a new premium variety, Baileys Gold, at several European airports. The latest addition to the Baileys flavour family is hazelnut, which was launched in late 2010 in the UK.