Styles of cream and use in cocktails

Cream is graded by its fat content, and confusingly, the different types of cream go by different names on either side of the Atlantic. For cocktails, we mainly use whipping cream, and occasionally heavy/double cream when extra richness is required.

The following cream styles are ordered from richest to lightest.

Heavy/double cream

Fat content: UK ~48%, USA = ~36-40%
Very thick, rich and luxurious cream that whips easily. In the UK, this style of cream is called "double cream", but in the USA, it is known as "heavy cream" or "heavy whipping cream". It's high fat content makes heavy (or double) cream the easiest cream to float on cocktails such as an Irish Coffee. Adding air by lightly whipping or shaking the container before opening also helps the cream's floatability.

Whipping cream

Fat content: UK ~35-36%, USA = ~30-35%
Thick but easier to pour and less rich than double cream, as the name suggests, whipping cream is easy to whip. Due to its slightly higher fat content, UK whipping cream tends to be more stable than American whipping cream.

I use a UK lactose-free pasteurised whipping cream branded "Arla LactoFREE", which is perfect for most cocktails and has the added benefit of being suitable for guests with lactose intolerance. Despite being lactose-free, it tastes like regular cream and has approximately 36% fat.

Light/single cream

Fat content: UK ~18%, USA = ~18-20%
It's not possible to whip this pourable cream, and single cream can split if boiled, but it adds creaminess without heaviness and is great in coffee. In the UK, this style of cream is known as "single cream" and in the USA is "light cream".

Half-and-half/half cream

Fat content: UK ~12%, USA = ~10-12%
This, relatively thin, easy-pouring cream is not whipable.