May the winds of fortune sail you, may you sail a gentle sea. May it always be the other guy who says, This drink's on me!
Slàinte, friends!
JennyPop's Irish Cocktail Reipes!
- Oscar Wilde
Guinness: Pure and Simple
- Guinness
- Not Guinness Blonde
To Craft
Drink your treasure properly: eyes straight ahead, on the horizon (or at yourself, esp if you're looking super cute, in that long, bar mirror). Do not look down into the pint glass. If you do, you could die. No, you'll just drink foam and miss all that yummy, dark, red beer underneath it all. (Yes, Guinness is red, not black; Red Rub is the actual colour.)
A perfect pint should take you 7 - 9 sips. Foam residue lines will denote your progress.
Now, Guinness is better enjoyed in some places than others. This is not myth! A perfectly pulled pint atop the Guinness Stoerhouse in Dublin is an experience worth the tour. Elbow-to-elbow pints in a Copenhagen pub, accidentally catching an Ireland vs. Denmark soccer match on telly? Superduper fun! A rich pint with too much foam and too many fingerprints on your glass, standing next to a likely ex-con at a biker-bar in Cardiff-by-the-Sea? Perfection.
Even Guinness in cans and bottles is yum-o and briliant for camping, hiking, beach-days, pool parties and anywhere draught is just not an option.
Go on then. Go find your Guinness!
―
Massey's Cocktail
- 25ml Irish Whiskey
- 25ml Gin
- 20ml Sweet Vermouth
- 5ml Green Chartreuse
- 3ml Campari
- Orange Twist
To Craft
Add your lovely green chartreuese and bright Campari. Pretend it's orange, rather than red, to round off your Irish colour palette. Shake vigorously, preferably whilst listenng to some Dropkick Murphys on your Bose.
Polish your Irish crystal martini, coupe or highball glass with, first, a linen or flour sack dishtowel and then, a - very clean - swatch of leather. Polish until perfectly shiny. Like, make-a-raven-happy shiny.
Coat shiny glass with a swirl of sweet vermouth, pour in your wll-shaken mélange and add an orange twist for flair ... and for William of Orange and the Battle of the Boyne.
Did You Know?
Irish Gold
- 2oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
- 1/2oz Peach Schnapps
- splash Orange Juice
- 4oz Ginger Ale
- Lime Wedge
To Craft
Fill a very shiny, preferably Waterford crystal, highball glass with artisan ice, or at least ice made from filtered water or bagged ice "untouched by human hands". It matters.
Pour your shot of Tullamore Dew over the ice; watch it drizzle down and listen to the ice crack as it makes its way. (You might have to mute your Blaggards Botany Bay for this aural bit.)
Add Schnapps, top off with your yummy, spicy ginger ale - Fever Tree is always preferable - splash with some flash your fave OJ and garnish with a srisp, bright green lime wedge.
Unmute your Blaggards and enjoy the day!
Note: If you get your cocktails on the outside, as opp to home-crafted, Irish Gold is a perfect light, harbourside drink if you're in the mood for a bit o' whiskey, but in a Yacht Rock, lean back, let the sun kiss your face state-of-mind.
Blackberry Malt
- 2oz Single Malt Irish Whiskey
- Sparkling Water
- Fresh Blackberries
- Cinnamon Sticks
To Craft
Muddle as many blackberries as you love; scoop those seedy little bastards into your glass. Top off with Ballygowan Sparkling Water. Bewarned, it's fizziness has been described by The Irish Times as, startling. Stir vigorously to further startle and garnish with a fresh, whole blackberry and a cinnamon stick.
The cinnamon is to remind you of Christmas, which you know you're missing and is so very far away from today.
Did You Know?
Pretty in Pink GinnyPop
- 2oz Pink Gin
- Soda Water
- Cucumber Slices
- Lemon Wheel
- Fresh Raspberries
To Craft
Second, it is magical to drink in Paris, in any weather, in any arrondissement.
Third, pink gin is raw-ther difficile to find in the States, esp in SoCal, notably in San Diego and Ventura. One can find it at BevMo, however: Beefeater's or Gordon's.
Now, fill your highly-polished globe to the halfway mark, with quality ice. (Trust me, a fine polish and Windex-clear ice will make this gem of a drink shine like a Christmas ornament.) Pour out your lovely pink gin and top the globe completely with your choice of soda water. Garnish with a cucumber slice, lemon wheel, raspberries, or any combination thereof. A fanciful straw, pref bio-degradable, adds a final touch of whimsy and beauty.
Sip delicately, taking your time to observe the fineries and, hopefully, happy folks surrounding you.
*In a pinch, make your own Pink Gin. Simply add three drops of Angostura Bitters to 2oz of any quality gin. Hendrick's, or any London dry gin is generally grand; but for St. Patrick's Day, why not try some Dingle Irish Gin, Gunpowder Irish Gin or Feckin' Unbelieveable Irish Gin?
Pink Gin On-Screen
In BBC's 1970s, cult-hit, Brit-com, Are You Being Served, Cap't Peacock's preferred drink is learned to be pink gin: evidenced in S8e6.