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. 

Junior League

It's less important which whiskey you choose when you use a large portion of anisette in a cocktail. Blended whiskey (often understood as Irish whiskey) is as good an option as any. The point is that it gets out of the way and allows you to inexpensively up the volume and alcohol content of a drink with a distinctive flavor. 

Anisette, as I understand it, is a sweetened anise liqueur. It comes in strong or sugary varieties: the strong anisettes are absinthe substitutes that get cloudy when they touch water while the sugary ones are more like cordials, less bitter and more like anise candy than licorice. Both are sweet, but the sweeter Aguardiente from Columbia is a lower proof and very sweet sugar-based liqueur. It is a good choice for a cocktail in which you don't want to overwhelm with anise. 

This recipe is designed for new drinkers. It shouldn't offend with herbal bitterness or alcoholic burn, and it doesn't. I like how I could taste the sherry barreling of the Slane Irish whiskey under the prickle of Aguardiente. The drink was slightly sweet with a cinnamon-like burn. I feel that this cocktail is a classy antidote to Fireball.      

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Slane Irish whiskey used)
• 1 oz. anisette (Aguardiente used)
• maraschino cherry garnish

Combine liquors in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the cherry. 

 

Shamrock-7

You don't see too many Grasshopper taste-alikes made with whiskey, or with white creme de menthe for that matter. The effect is a snow-white cocktail that has the exact, if not better, mint and chocolate flavor of a classic Grasshopper with a whiskey kick. What I like, though, is that it isn't as sweet or as creamy. There's milk and a lot less of it, and the cordials are held in balance as well. You can do this drink anytime--and I mean breakfast is not off limits--and it won't fill you up.

• 1 1/2 oz. Seagram's Seven Crown whiskey
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. white creme de menthe
• 1 oz. milk

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

Irish Drinks with Knappogue Castle

The Kerry Cooler (above) benefits from using a single malt Irish whiskey like Knappogue Castle and a quality sherry. The effect is a sweet orgeat and lemon sour with a nutty malty richness that swings between a solid Whiskey and Soda and something more tropical.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Knappogue castle)
• 1 oz. medium sherry
• 1 oz. orgeat syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• club soda
• lemon peel

Combine all ingredients except club soda and zest in a shaker full of ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lemon peel. 

Irish Buck--I've done this drink as a standard Buck with lime juice and soda. That kind of defeats the purpose of using a quality Irish whiskey. Just like the "correct and proper" Scotch and Soda, the Irish Buck dispenses with the citrus juice and just uses the scent from a slice of lemon or a twist of the peel. Nothing gets in the way of tasting that lovely malt of Knoppogue Castle, but you'll appreciate how much the essence of fruit changes a plain Irish Whiskey and Soda into a fabulous cocktail.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Knappogue Castle used)
• club soda
• twist or slice of lemon

Build the cocktail with ice and whiskey in a Collins glass. Top with soda and stir gently. Twist the lemon peel and drop it in the glass. 

St. Patrick's Day Fizzy Drinks with Proper Twelve

 

I've revisited two good drinks for St. Patrick's day, or any day so long as you have a bar stocked with Irish whiskey and some quality mix-ins. My first attempt at the Wicklow Cooler was with orgeat. This is an alternative recipe using falernum. Either way, you get one of those tropical whiskey drinks that somehow work fine. You could be enjoying this on any island, but it just so happens that the whiskey comes from the island of Ireland. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 1 oz. dark rum (Vitae Barrel-Aged used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 tsp. falernum (homemade used)
• ginger ale

Combine all ingredients except soda in a shaker or blender. Pour into a chilled Collins glass. Top with ginger ale.

Next up is the Glenbeigh Fizz. This is a nutty and pink cocktail that should be done in a long drink. My first attempt used different ingredients, but now I have quality Creme de Noyaux from Tempus Fugit and Proper Twelve Irish whiskey. The recipe calls for medium sherry and I remember using cream sherry. This update, Amontillado or lighter sherry only, increases the nuttiness of the drink and really draws forward the grain flavor of the whiskey.

• 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey
• 1 oz. medium sherry
• 1/2 oz. creme de noyaux (Tempus Fugit creme de noyaux used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• club soda

Mix all ingredients except club soda and lemon slice with ice in a shaker. Pour into a chilled highball glass and fill with club soda.

Banshee's Fix (Original Recipe)

Nothing like going tiki with whiskey, and evoking a malevolent Irish spirit while using an Irish spirit to boot! In truth, this cocktail is close to the Irish Fix--an attempt to make the most pleasing combination of juice and whiskey you'll ever find.

Unlike most Fixes, this the Irish Fix includes pineapple juice. I did the same, but added lemon juice, mint and a good helping of Virginia banana whiskey. That is a cocktail allusion to the Banshee banana dessert drink. In essence, this drink swings tiki when served on crushed ice, and I love the combined effect it produces when garnished with the mint and green maraschino cherry. You don't even notice that this is a whiskey drink and its hard to identify the banana as well. It just comes across as a perfect tropical escape--but the island it takes you to is Ireland.

• 1 1/2 oz. Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey
• 1 oz. MurLarkey banana whiskey
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. orgeat syrup
•  mint sprig and maraschino cherry garnishes

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a green maraschino cherry.

John Collins

John Collins is the whiskey brother to Tom Collins. I realize there is also a Whiskey Collins, but the Collins is such an Irish-American cocktail that it needs doing with a real Irish whiskey.

I'm hot and cold on my feelings about Donegal Estates whiskey. It is dry and almost flavorless except for a bit of grain on the center of the tongue. This makes it excellent as a cocktail whiskey with light and refreshing drinks like the Collins. It is uninteresting when taken neat, except that occasionally it pairs well with shortbread or as a topper to fizzy drinks. For me, it wasn't worth the price, in the 30 dollar range, but that's the thing about Irish whiskey imports. You pay a premium regardless of quality.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Donegal Estates used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. sugar
• soda
• lemon slice
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry (green used)

Combine whiskey, juice and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass (Guinness glass used) and top with soda. Garnish with fruit.

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.