Happy Throwback Thursday! Our throwback year today is 1974.
Let’s rewind to 1974—a year of bell-bottoms, bold patterns, and one delicious new invention that would go on to change dessert cocktails forever. That’s right: 1974 is the year Baileys Irish Cream first hit the scene!
Despite its Irish-sounding name, Irish Cream wasn’t a centuries-old tradition rooted in Emerald Isle folklore. In fact, the very first version of it—Baileys—was dreamed up in London by British businessman Tom Jago. He was working on a challenge from Gilbeys of Ireland, the Irish arm of a London-based spirits company that needed something new, premium, and proudly Irish to export to the world.
Why the sudden push for a brand-new Irish export? At the time, the Irish government was offering generous subsidies to companies that shipped new products to international markets. Ireland had two things in abundance: velvety fresh dairy cream and world-renowned Irish whiskey. The whiskey itself traces its roots back to the 12th century, when Irish monks returned from southern Europe carrying perfume-distilling techniques—and promptly adapted them into something a lot more fun to drink.
So the innovation team at Gilbeys did what any scrappy, creative group would do: they went to the nearest grocery store.
What happened next was part culinary curiosity, part mad science. They mixed cream and Irish whiskey, then stabilized it with chocolate powder and sugar—think Nesquik with a twist. The entire initial formulation? About 45 minutes.
Now they needed a name. Inspiration struck just steps from their office: Baileys Bistro. They borrowed the name, created a signature for a fictional person, “R.A. Bailey,” and layered in nods to places like the Baileys Hotel in London and even the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Authenticity, manufactured—but charming.
Test marketing, however… did not go well. Focus group reactions included calling the drink “girly” and comparing it to stomach medicine. Not exactly rave reviews.
But then came the saving grace: pub testing. Gilbeys placed two bottles behind the bar of a nearby pub. When they checked back later, one bottle was completely gone. The bartender informed them that two police officers had come in that afternoon and polished off the whole thing. That was enough proof for Gilbeys—Baileys had potential.
And oh, did that potential pay off.
Baileys quickly became the top-selling liqueur in the UK and, soon after, the world. Within just five years, it had sparked 75 competing brands. Today, more than 80 million bottles of Baileys are produced each year at the company’s Dublin facility and exported to 180 countries. The U.S. is its biggest fan, buying more Baileys than any other country.
The holidays are peak Baileys season, too—nearly half of all annual sales happen between October and December.
Behind every bottle is an incredible amount of Irish dairy. Around 200 million litres of fresh Irish milk go into Baileys production each year, sourced largely from small family farms. The cream arrives in Dublin just 36 hours after leaving the farms, and a sealed bottle can stay fresh for two years thanks to natural emulsifiers that keep the cream and whiskey perfectly blended.
Since its debut, Baileys has expanded far beyond the original. Flavors now include Salted Caramel, Espresso Crème, Apple Pie, S’mores, Red Velvet, and more. In 2017, the brand even launched a dairy-free version made with almond milk.
Not bad for a recipe invented during a 45-minute grocery-store experiment back in 1974.
In honor of the popular B-52 shot (which includes Bailey’s, Kahlua, and Grand Marnier):