Blackberry Irish Whiskey Sour

Here we are again in January, a little bleary…. But the dead of winter gets a bum rap. All the seasons have their beauty. And this one for me is largely about the rich, tasty, warming goodness of whiskey cocktails! Blackberry brandy is especially nice at this time of year, and pairs so well with whiskey. Recent visitors will note my current preoccupation with Irish whiskey, and the maltiness of that spirit is great with dense black fruit flavors. For the drink below, I used Clear Creek Blackberry Liqueur from Portland, Oregon.



Blackberry Irish Whiskey Sour

• 1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey (Paddy)
• 3/4 oz blackberry brandy
• 1/2 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Orange twist.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Modern Irish Cocktail?—Molly Bloom

This one’s for a friend who was having trouble with Irish whiskey in the classic Manhattan formula. While distinctly more floral and fruit-forward from the inclusion of Cocchi Rosa, the bitter-sweet balance seems the closest to a Manhattan or Rob Roy of my recent Irish adventures. Maybe my favorite so far, too.



Molly Bloom

• 2 oz Irish whiskey
• 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano Rosa
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

There’s something Modernist era about this one, and the pronounced rosé character of the aperitif made me think of James Joyce’s Molly.

Another Irish Whiskey Cocktail (or Two)

The second of my recent attempts at an aromatic Irish whiskey cocktail. So far, I’ve done two subtle variations, one with sweet vermouth and the other with Cocchi Americano Rosa, and both are more successful than my last try with an aromatic cocktail. (See previous post.) Curaçao turns out to be a great addition, rich yet bright.



John McCormack

• 2 oz Irish whiskey
• 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano Rosa (or sweet vermouth)
• 1/4 oz curaçao

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

This is where I wanted to end up: fresh, light and lively, red citrus and herbs complimenting the whiskey. The vermouth version is good but I’m liking the Cocchi a lot at the moment.

A Pair of Irish Whiskey Cocktails

I came home with a bottle of Tyrconnell Single Malt a few days ago, and this post ought to have been written sooner but the whiskey was so charming that it took me a while to settle down to work. Maybe that’s the nature of Irish whiskey, and why experimentation seems limited. And then I bought a nice bottle of barley beer thinking it would compliment, Almanac’s Honey Saison, and that was pretty and quaffable too, and was soon sucked down without a thought to cocktails.



Raising the Stakes

• 1 1/2 oz single malt Irish whiskey (Tyrconnell)
• 1 1/2 oz amontillado sherry
• 2 dashes peach bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Amontillado is a great compliment to this whiskey, emphasizing vanilla and caramel. The peach bitters open up fruit aromas without adding sweetness on the palate. I tried playing with spicier flavors but they only got in the way.



Double Barrel Barley

• 1 oz single malt Irish whiskey (Tyrconnell)
• 1 oz amontillado sherry
• 3 oz Almanac Honey Saison

Stir whiskey and sherry with ice and strain into a wine glass. Add beer.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Eventually, I managed to hold onto a bottle of beer long enough to make a cocktail with it. Almanac is a local brewery based in San Jose. The barley and honey compliment the gracefulness and flavor profile of the spirit. Rich but light.

Sour on the Holidays?

Nothing says Christmas like a bedraggled escape with a Whiskey Sour. Sometimes I find myself in one of those downtown bars—Irish bars, the smaller hotel bars, neighborhood bars. They can make a Whiskey Sour. Of course there’s a lot of packaged sour mix out there. I guess sometimes a person’s desperate enough. The holidays can make a person do crazy things. But if you’re not out shopping or trying to find an adult entertainment establishment or something, you can turn on the colored lights and a little music, squeeze your own citrus, and make a really good Whiskey Sour right at home.

For the whiskey, you can use anything. I like them all—scotch especially. (By the rules of spelling, that’s a Whisky Sour.) The one I show here is an Irish Whiskey Sour.



Whiskey Sour

• 2 oz whiskey
• 1 oz lemon juice, or a combination of lemon and lime
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

I like mine stirred with ice and strained into a chilled glass. Some like it on the rocks. Cherry and orange or lemon.
SOURCE: COMPOSITE

Irish Horse’s Neck

It’s there you’ll see the jockeys and they’re mounted out so stately
The pink, the blue, the orange and green, the emblem of our nation
When the bell was rung for starting all the horses seemed impatient
I thought they never stood on ground, their speed was so amazing
With me whack-fol the do-fol the diddlely-idle-ay

—The Galway Races, Traditional

I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other sites to visit today for green drinks and Irish Coffees. Here’s a classic highball I’ve known and loved almost since I started drinking: the Horse’s Neck. You can make it with any whiskey, though it’s particularly fine with Irish whiskey.

Irish Horse’s Neck

Line a tall glass with:

• A long spiral of lemon peel (the whole thing, if you can)

Fill with ice cubes.

Add:

• 2 oz Irish whiskey
• Ginger ale or ginger beer to fill.

Many thanks to Timmy Lou Skelly of Swirl on Castro for his time, and for the suggestion of Clontarf Irish Whiskey for this post.