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.

Emerald Isle

What a stunning drink for St. Patrick's Day! I've said before that a drink isn't good just because it is green. You have to think about the flavors involved and whether or not they clash. That's why drinks like Everybody's Irish and the Irish Flag fall short. They somehow think that Irish whiskey, creme de menthe and Green Chartreuse will fit together well. They don't, but gin and green creme de menthe do, especially with a heavy dose of Angostura bitters.

So my verdict on this St. Patrick's Day cocktail is it is better than most. A little bracing, however. It's just strong on mint flavor and gin, the other Irish spirit.

I wanted to point out that the cherry in the photo is green. It took me a good while and many shops to find green maraschino cherries, but, unlike other drinks that call for them, I couldn't use anything but a green cherry for the Emerald Isle. I know that they are full of dye and nearly toxic, but so is the celebration of St. Patrick's Day in America.

• 2 1/2 oz. gin
• 2 tsp. green creme de menthe
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• green maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish only with a green maraschino cherry.