January 25, 2022 - National Florida Day | National Irish Coffee Day

Welcome to January 25th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the Sunshine State and a delicious cold weather cure. According to legend, the Fountain of Youth would grant anyone who drank from it the gift of long life. This story had existed for hundreds of years, but no one knew where it was. When the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon heard rumors from natives in the Caribbean, he set sail to find it. Heading north in search of this miraculous fountain, he came upon land and went ashore. He named the land after the Spanish Easter celebration—The Feast of Flowers, or Pascua Florida. Though he never did find it, you can visit the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St Augustine, Florida. It won’t actually grant you eternal youth, but you will get to explore the oldest city in America. On National Florida Day, we celebrate the Sunshine State and all the natural beauty it has to offer. On a cold, wet day in 1942, weary travelers to the small Shannon Airport in Southern Ireland found their way to a restaurant run by Joe Sheridan. To warm his guests, Joe served them hot coffee spiked with whiskey and topped with a pillow of whipped cream. One of these guests was travel writer Stanton Delaplane who brought the idea of Irish Coffee to the owners of the Buena Vista Cafe in California in 1952. Intrigued by his story they tried to recreate the flavor, but concluded that it required a pilgrimage of their own to Joe’s restaurant. Their efforts were rewarded with the secret to floating the whipped cream on top and the authentic flavor has been enjoyed Stateside ever since. On National Irish Coffee Day, celebrate the folks who went the distance to bring us this cold weather cure. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices