Cocktails served on St. Patrick’s Day can be, well, more than a little tacky. Let’s face it: dyed beer, Irish Car Bombs and shooters really do nothing to celebrate the Emerald Isle. Instead, toast with these libations, which use the country’s native whiskey as well as pisco and Sherry. And remember: we’re all Irish on March 17. Slàinte!
Irish Goodbye
Recipe courtesy of Trevor Frye, Jack Rose Dining Saloon
The name of this whiskey cocktail refers to the act of leaving a party without saying a proper goodbye (totally forgivable if you are attending a crowded St. Paddy’s Day soirée.) It gets its bitter and herbal notes from Cocchi di Torino and Green Chartreuse, and a touch of nuttiness from the Sherry.
1 ½ oz. Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey
½ oz. Amontillado Sherry
½ oz. Cocchi di Torino
½ oz. Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Lemon peel, for garnish
Add all ingredients except garnish to a mixing glass. Add ice, stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express the lemon peel over the glass, and then discard.
Irish Joy
Recipe courtesy of Babak Pakravan, Head Bartender, Penn Commons
This festive sipper gets its bright hue from Midori, that melon liqueur so ubiquitous in the 1970s and 1980s that’s making a comeback. In this pisco drink, the liqueur’s sweet profile is tamed a bit by a tart apple shrub and grapefruit bitters.
1 ½ oz. pisco
½ oz. Midori Liqueur
½ oz. Shrub & Company Apple Shrub
1 ½ oz. pineapple juice
1 dash grapefruit bitters
Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until chilled. Strain it into a tall glass over fresh ice, and add a dash of grapefruit bitters.
Precision Pilot
Recipe courtesy of Tullamore DEW and Jillian Vose, The Dead Rabbit
Vose pours Tullamore DEW--a triple blend of all three types of triple-distilled Irish whiskey--resulting in a complex yet smooth tipple. “It’s perfect for any St. Patrick’s Day party and will leave your guests questioning whether or not you recently scored your bartender’s license,” says a rep for the whiskey brand.
1 oz. Tullamore DEW Phoenix Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Lillet Rose
¾ oz. Campari
½ oz. Combier Pamplemousse Rosé
1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Add all ingredients except bitters and garnish to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir well until chilled. Strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass, add a dash of bitters, express the grapefruit twist over the glass and discard.
Breakfast of Champions
Recipe courtesy of Lee Carrell, The Royal
With its two kinds of protein, whiskey and a heavy style beer, this drink really is a meal. The whole egg adds luxurious mouth feel, and bacon and an infused maple syrup give savory smokiness. (If you don’t have a grill or smoker box, buy a commercially made syrup.)
¼ oz. smoked maple syrup (see Note)
1 oz. Millar’s Irish Whiskey
1 whole egg
1 oz. porter
Dash of nutmeg
2 bacon slices, 1 reserved for garnish
Add the syrup, whiskey, egg, porter, nutmeg and 1 bacon slice to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice. Add ice, shake well until chilled, and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with the other bacon strip, crumbled on top.
For the smoked maple syrup:
Place a heat-proof container of maple syrup on a grill, then place a box of wood chips next to it. Smoke for thirty minutes, or until desired flavor is achieved, with the grill lid closed.
Liam Nii-san
Recipe courtesy of mixologist Daniel Pouridas, Daikaya
When Daikaya launched a late night Irish-themed event, Pouridas selected a less-than-obvious choice for the cocktail base: a peated Irish whiskey. “I wanted to isolate that smokey peat in the cocktail, and lay it over the rich bitter, sweet, and nutty qualities of the Gran Classico and the Crème de Noyaux,” he explains. “The mole bitters help to uplift that smoke, and the orange zest gives the impression of acidity and freshness.”
1 oz. Connemara Single Malt Peated Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Iwai Black Label Japanese Whisky
1 oz. Tempus Fugit Gran Classico
½ oz. Tempus Fugit Crème de Noyaux
2 dashes Wiggle Chocolate Mole Bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
Chill a coupe glass with water and ice and set aside. Add the spirits and bitters into a mixing glass, add ice and stir for about 20 seconds. Empty the water and ice from the coupe glass, strain mixture into the coupe, express orange peel over the cocktail and serve.
Paddy in Chicago
Recipe courtesy The Waldorf Astoria Chicago
The Gaelic take on the Old Fashioned uses both Irish whiskey and local Bourbon. The hotel adds orange bitters, but it would work equally well with aromatic or even chocolate or mole bitters. And note that there is no green color to be had in this drink--you’ll have to take a visit to the local Chicago River for that.
1 ½ oz. Michael Collins Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Koval Bourbon Whiskey
¼ oz. demerara syrup
4 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
Add all ingredients except garnish to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube, and garnish with the orange peel.
Birthday Suit
Recipe courtesy of Jillian Vose, Bar Manager, The Dead Rabbit
While working on the new drinks menu for the lauded Lower Manhattan cocktail den, Vose realized she had never come across an Irish version of the classic New Orleans cocktail. She said Tullamore DEW’s blend of malt, floral and robust notes easily lends itself to blending with chamomile, lemon and Cocchi. “We describe it to guests as a white Sazerac-style drink with Irish whiskey.”
2 lemon peels, expressed and stirred in glass
2 dashes Boker’s Bitters
2 dashes chamomile tincture
1 tsp. cane sugar
¾ oz. Cocchi Americano
1 ½ oz. Tullamore DEW 12 Years Old Irish Whiskey
Absinthe in atomizer
Add all ingredients except the absinthe to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until chilled. Strain it into a small Old Fashioned glass, and spritz with the absinthe.