Moonshot

If you want a light and refreshing and light, clammy cocktail--this is perhaps the only one in the New York Bartender's Guide that doesn't turn into a Bloody Mary. This bottle of Wild Irish that Glendalough distillery sent me last year is not only a bright and uplifting gin to use with clam juice, it is also apropos Irish like Co. Conemara's famous cocktail.

I kept my dash of Tabasco light for this one so I could appreciate the gin, which come across as extremely fresh. This is because the botanicals that Glendalough uses are foraged from the wilds around the distillery and distilled with the gin the same day they are picked. It can be said that the taste of this gin is an expression of the natural environment of Glendalough.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Irish botanical gin used)
• 3 oz. clam juice
• dash Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an (double) Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. 

Fare Thee Well

Fare Thee Well is the name of an old Celtic love song with the title repeated at the end of each verse. In it the singer is going away, maybe never to return, and he wishes his "Honey" a goodbye.

This bittersweet song is a great name for a cocktail that's made best with Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin from Ireland. This gin is so bright and fresh that it's floral notes are the main sensation in this Martini variation of a cocktail.

The blue-ish color of the liqueur is a result of the botanicals releasing into the ice-melt from mixing, as this non-chil filtered gin will do.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough used)
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• dash sweet vermouth
• dash Cointreau

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Fairy Belle Cocktial

A belief in fairies is necessary when reading Yeats Celtic Twilight. It may be inspired by Glendalough Wild Irish Botanical gin in the Fairy Belle Cocktail. This drink is unusual among the many apricot brandy and gin cocktails in that it it has egg white but no lemon juice. It also has grenadine, so it is an Easter egg pink color.

I really liked how the Glendalough gin is so floral and fresh. There's a lot going on in this drink, and the last thing you want is for it to taste like a Christmas tree when it is going for spring scents.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Irish Botanical used)
• 1 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• 1 egg white

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

Spencer Cocktail

This is a great combination of flavors, both in theory and in fact. It is pretty much a Martini variation with juice and bitters and bright fruit flavors. Apricot brandy gives it that air of mystery and old-world charm. A good fall and winter variation for you Martini drinkers.

• 2 oz. Gin (Glendalough used)
• 1 oz. apricot brandy
• 1/2 tsp. orange juice
• dash angostura bitters
• maraschino cherry
• orange twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist and cherry.

Gin Sling

The Gin Sling is just an easy way to drink gin. Unlike the Gin Fix, which is really similar, it is not made in the glass like an Old Fashioned. This cocktail is stirred in a mixing glass, which is unusual for a drink with this much juice.

Glendalough Wild Botanical gin takes on a cloudy appearance when it is stirred because of its being unfiltered. The herbs, fruits and spices of the gin release into the water for a very intense drink.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin used)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. water
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• orange twist

Combine sugar and water in a mixing glass and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add lemon juice, gin and ice and stir to chill. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice and garnish with an orange twist. 

Gin Fix

As I've said before, a fix is what we have come to understand as a Sour--a lemon and sugar drink that should have egg white in it and served up. The Fix is served on the rocks. It's built in the glass and it should be in an Old Fashioned or rocks glass.

The NY Bartender's Guide recipe seems to have a misprint, showing a highball symbol for the recommended glassware. This won't work with a built in glass cocktail. The liquid will only go halfway up! I'll print the recipe below with the proper glassware.

Glendalough Wild Botanical gin is one of the new and excellent Celtic Gins to land in the U.S. and cause a stir. It is unbelievably fresh and is probably my favorite gin right now. Glendalough is a whiskey distillery, and I have to say that this is by far their best product, and one that will be well received in D.C. where gin is very in.

• 3 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Botanical gin used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. water
• lemon slice

Combine sugar and water in an Old Fashioned or rocks glass and stir to partially dissolve the sugar. Add lemon juice, gin and ice and stir until chilled. Garnish with a lemon slice. 

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.