The historic venture started on the night of Nov. 10 in 1952. Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, challenged international travel writer Stanton Delaplane to help re-create a highly-touted "Irish Coffee" served at Shannon Airport in Ireland. Intrigued, Stan accepted Jack's invitation, and the pair began to experiment immediately. Throughout the night the two of them stirred and sipped judiciously and eventually acknowledged two recurring problems. The taste was "not quite right", and the cream would not float, but Jack was undaunted. The restaurateur pursued the elusive elixir ith religious fervor, even making a pilgrimage overseas to Shannon Airport.

Upon Jack's return, the experimentation continued. Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey was selected. Then the problem of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco's mayor, a prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack's and Stan's special nectar.

Success was theirs! With the recipe now mastered, a sparkling clear, six-ounce, heat-treated goblet was chosen as a suitable chalice.

Soon the fame of the Buena Vista's Irish Coffee spread throughout the land. Today, it's still the same delicious mixture, and it's still the same clamorous, cosmopolitan Buena Vista. Both....delightful experiences.