Paddy Melt (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This is a great drink with a questionable name. You only get away with puns this bad on St. Patrick's Day, for sure. Normally an Irish cocktail requires Irish whiskey, but in this case, malted whiskey is more important to impart that sweet "melt" flavor we are looking for. 

That's why I used Virginia Distilling Company's Brewer's Batch whiskey. This is a smoke-free scotch and American whiskey blend that's aged in Scottish Ale barrels, so it's loaded with malt character and light oak, just like malted Irish whiskey. I usually have Amaro Meletti on hand, but this time I had to fudge it. the 1/2 oz. I needed is comprised of Ambrosia Apertivo with a drop of Liquore Strega for the minty herbal notes of Meletti. Finally, I infused Rittenhouse rye with chamomile tea to get the apple notes the cocktail is designed to have. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Knappaugue Castle-12 Year Irish whiskey (Virginia Distilling Company Brewer's Batch used)
• 1/2 oz. chamomile-infused rye
• 1/2 oz. Amaro Meletti (Don Ciccio and Figili Ambrosia plus 1 dash Strega used)
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. cane sugar syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a fancy fizz glass. 

Castle To Castle (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

So much of this cocktail has been done before in one way or another, but it's never been done quite this good. A twist on the classic Whiskey with a splash of juice--a staple of St. Patrick's Day in American bars--shows up again with the good stuff. Knappogue Castle is one of the maltiest Irish whiskies. It stands out a little more than most Irish whiskies when mixed with juice and soda. Additionally, fresh-squeezed Fuji apple juice is brighter and fresher than juice you can buy in the store. Together, these flavors balance and make for a wonderful long drink.

Unpeated malt whiskies take on an apple or pear-like aroma at 12 years of age. Using a honey syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar plays right to this drink's strong suit. I juiced the Fuji apple for this cocktail by hand, which was no picnic and I don't recommend doing it. I wonder how the bartender's at Death & Co. did it with their juicers.

• 1 1/2 oz. Knappogue Castle 12-year Irish whiskey
• 1 1/2 oz. Fuji apple juice
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. acacia honey syrup
• basil sprig garnish

Short shake all the ingredients except garnishes with only 3 ice cubes) Strain into a Pilsner glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the basil sprig.

Bella Cohen (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

My hope that this New York bar named this drink based on the actress' actual preference. It is quite possible that she came to the bar herself, and this was named for her. And even if it isn't, it makes a great St. Patrick's Day cocktail. 

I'm gearing up for St. Patrick's Day with a few new whiskies and this East India solera sherry by Lustau. The recipe calls for pale cream sherry, but that is really a matter of color, not the sweetness of the flavor. This solera sherry is actually very rich, and it is part of the Death & Co. repertoire that gets used a lot, and so I anticipate using more of it as I make my way through their bar book. 

This cocktail is rich and a sweet with plenty of single malt nuttiness that the sherry accentuates. St. Germain is a small portion of the drink, but aids in adding texture to this all liquor drink. The lemon twist, if anything, adds the slightest acidity to cut the sweet and oak notes.  

• 1 1/2 oz. Knappogue Castle 12-year Irish whiskey
• 1 1/2 oz. Alvear Festival pale cream sherry (Lustau East India solera used)
• 1 tsp. St Germain
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
• lemon twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Twist lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks

 

The Shamrock is a dessert drink designed for consumption on St. Patrick's Day. The basic formula for most recipes (not the Shamrock #1 which involves green Chartreuse and has no dairy) involves Irish whiskey, milk or cream, and green creme de menthe. They are all sweet, minty and creamy and go well with cookies. That is why I show them with good snack options. 

The first I want to show off is J.J.'s Shamrock, my favorite one and definitely a special recipe of some Irish bar belonging to the so-named J.J. 

• 1 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe
• 1 oz. milk

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Another variation is the Shamrock #2, done on the rocks with a cherry garnish. This subtracts the creme de cacao and adjust proportions accordingly.

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 1 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe
• 2 oz. heavy cream 
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the cherry. 










Another quality version of the Shamrock is the P.V. Doyle, named after the Irish Hotel chain pioneer. For this drink, you want to use crushed ice or a blender and pour it all in a large Martini glass to enjoy the minty-slushy goodness. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 3/4 oz. green creme de menthe
• 1 oz. heavy cream
• maraschino cherry

Add all liquid ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend and pour into a large Martini glass. Garnish with cherry. (I recommend using a cocktail spear.)

Serpent's Tooth

At the heart of this wily cocktail is Irish whiskey, placing this drink among the rank of the Tipperary and Everybody's Irish which use green Chartreuse and lots of flavorful spirits. As written, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 oz. of lemon juice, making it extremely acidic and difficult to drink. With a half ounce of simple syrup added, it becomes extremely amenable and boozy. You notice sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and Jagermeister. I'll include the sugar in the recipe so that no one feels the bite of the Serpent.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Jagermeister
• 1 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 3-5 dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Garnish with twist. 

Black Velvet

A typical Black Velvet should be a half pint of stout and a half pint of champagne in a pint glass. That's it. Edie Burns of Bar Dupont says that this drink is a favorite of British in Ireland because it gets you drunk quicker than Guinness alone.

Bar Dupont has turned out this special cocktail for St. Patrick's Day, a fluted version with Sibona Camomilla, chamomile liqueur. I'm guessing it is 3/4 oz. of the liqueur and equal parts Guinness and prosecco. The liqueur smooths things over and ups the alcohol content. Velvet is an apt name here, because the fizzy bubbles feel lush and the chocolate and herbal flavors, as well as grape from the prosecco, offer little resistance.

Original recipe for Black Velvet:

• 6 oz. champagne or sparkling wine
• 6 oz. stout or black porter

Pour into a pint glass.

One Ireland

A lot of minty St. Patrick's Day drinks are a little gross because the creme de menthe is cheap and tastes bitter. I could see this being done with no sugar and some vermouth or green Chartreuse like in the Everybody's Irish. I can't cite that recipe enough as the worst example of a green drink for the sake of being green on St. Patrick's Day.

On the other hand, this one is actually pretty nifty. It's not my style: a mint ice cream flavor that I'm sure some women will like. And it isn't really a great drink to waste good whiskey in, because it would work equally well with vodka. The point is that it is green and really creamy and doesn't offend anyone.

Which is funny, because the name suggests a stridently political outcome. I'm not taking sides, but this strangely ameliorating cocktail probably got its name because no one can disparage this drink for not being Irish enough.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Donegal Estates used)
• 1 oz. green creme de menthe
• small scoop of vanilla ice cream

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Boston Sour

Boston has a bunch of cocktails to its name. It is currently one of the world's cocktail hotspots, as well. I wonder if the Boston Sour has made a comeback in recent years. I hope so; it's a good drink for this time of year.

The Boston Sour is a very sweet and silky sour owing to the large portion of sugar and egg white. It isn't a standout among many sours that include egg white, however. To make it more regionally specific, I picked an Irish whiskey, Donegal Estates, which is a good blended whiskey for mixing. With all the Irish-American influence in Boston, it seems like a good choice.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey (Donegal Estates used)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• lemon wheel
• maraschino cherry (green for St. Patrick's Day used)

Combine sugar, whiskey, lemon juice and egg white in a shaker and shake well until foamy. Add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a chilled sour glass and garnish with lemon and cherry.

Irish Canadian Sangaree

This is one of the weirder things you can order up at an Irish pub. It's bound to get you funny looks from the bartender. But it shouldn't surprise anyone that Irish and Canadian whiskeys play well together--better than Irish and Scottish whiskeys anyway. (The Canadians are always so polite.) Canada is known for having a large population of Celtic people, some who still speak Gaelic. So it is fitting that there is a drink that serves as a tribute to people who are Irish Canadian every day, unlike Americans who wait for St. Patrick's day to show off their Irishness.

The drink itself is juicy and strong with spicy notes. I chose Crown Royal as the quintessential Canadian whiskey. That gave the drink a kind of coppery and oak undertone with the citrus and liquor spice in the foreground. Nutmeg makes this drink similar in profile to the Scotch Sangaree or Scotch Cobbler.

• 2 oz. Canadian whiskey (Crown Royal used)
• 1 oz. Irish Mist
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• grated nutmeg 

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.