Bailey's

Baileys Irish Cream was created in 1971 by a team led by advertising executive Tom Jago, working for Gilbeys of Ireland, and launched commercially in 1974 as the world's first Irish cream liqueur. The idea grew out of a practical problem, surplus Irish whiskey and excess fresh cream from a dairy supplier, blended together and refined into something genuinely new. It has been made in Ireland ever since and is now owned by British drinks group Diageo, produced at facilities in Dublin and Northern Ireland.

The recipe combines Irish whiskey and fresh cream with a proprietary cocoa extract, vanilla, and sugar, homogenised so the alcohol and cream stay blended rather than separating in the bottle. At 17% ABV it needs no added preservatives, since the alcohol itself keeps the cream stable, a detail considered unusual when it first launched. It remains the benchmark against which most other cream liqueurs are measured.