Tradewinds (Glendalough Gin Version)

Gin is an unlikely ingredients in a Tiki cocktail. But the Smuggler's Cove recipe book recommends doing the Tradewinds with gin. Now this is a heavily sweetened and coconut puree cocktail. It hardly matters what the spirit is when the drink is so thick its unlikely that anyone can taste it.

Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin is a wonderfully bold gin with spice notes that really come through. There's heather flower and elderflower, pine shoots, and woodruff, daisies and rose petals, in addition to standard gin ingredients. This will be a deluxe gin for such special occasions as this one I made on Bloom's Day, 2017.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Irish Botanical)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1 oz. apricot liqueur
• lemon wedge speared by a tiny umbrella (turned inside out)

Combine all ingredients except wedge garnish in a blender with ice. Blend briefly until ice is crushed and pour into a Collins or pilsner glass. Garnish with lemon wedge and umbrella.

A Glendalough tasting at Ri Ra

Glendalough Distillery is a newcomer in the Irish whiskey market. They produce the whole history of whiskey at their Wicklow facility: a range of ancient poitin white spirits, pre-prohibition single malt whiskeys with a lot of character, and a new single grain Double Barrel whiskey aged in ex-bourbon and Olorosso sherry casks.

I met Donal O'Gallachoir at Ri Ra in Georgetown to learn more about this whiskey's exciting entry into the D.C. market. Here he tells me the origin of the Glendalough name and explains the image of St. Kevin on every bottle.

Glendalough Double Wood is an excellent sipping whiskey made from organic European corn and malted barley. It has a light body and subtle maltiness from the grain mix, but there are deeper vanilla and spice notes from the bourbon and sherry casks. I quickly surmised that this is a great crossover whiskey for bourbon lovers because it has the corn and charred barrel components that they are familiar with.  

Donal O'Gallachoir calls Glendalough a gateway Irish whiskey: one that has a little for everyone to love. Try it neat, on the rocks, or in a whiskey cocktail. Here Donal gives a little distillery history and explains what sets Glendalough apart from other Irish whiskey brands.