By Marian Jansen op de Haar, Fleming’s Director of Wine
Jameson Irish Whiskey Sour and Bushmills Irish Coffee
$6 each, offered only on Wednesday, March 17th
“Everything old is new again.” That old aphorism is a perfect description of the current trend in cocktails. After several years of concocting eclectic drinks with exotic ingredients, bartenders are once again serving up classic cocktails, albeit with modern updates, especially drinks with traditional brown spirits – whiskey and bourbon. Maybe it’s the retro cool influence of Mad Men or just the desire to get back to basics. For whatever reason, masculine cocktails are “in.”
Even if today’s cocktails are going classic, the twist is artisan. The array of small-batch whiskeys available today is absolutely stunning. Bourbons and ryes from all over America, and handmade malts from Ireland and Scotland.
With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, I wanted to do a couple of classic Irish Whiskey cocktails and give them a modern twist: a Jameson Irish Whiskey Sour and a Bushmills Irish Coffee.
The Whiskey Sour dates back to the 1800s. (Now that’s retro!) Traditionally, a Whiskey Sour is made with blended Irish whiskey or Scotch and lemon juice. I started with Jameson — one of the best Irish labels. The first alteration was switching to lime juice instead of lemon juice, because of its similar taste profile and its green color. To compensate for the slightly tart flavor of lime, I added just a touch of orange juice and a little simple syrup. The new garnish is a lime wheel versus the traditional Maraschino Cherry.
The other traditional drink is, of course, Irish Coffee, which dates back to the Second World War. In addition to Bushmills whiskey (distillery founded in 1608), our variation includes Bailey’s Irish Cream, which makes it a little sweeter and creamier. We garnish it with our housemade Chantilly Cream topped with a splash of Crème de Menthe for some minty refreshment and Irish color.
Sláinte!
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Bushmills Irish Coffee
1 oz. Bushmills Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Bailey’s
1/4 oz. Green Crème de Menthe
4 oz. Fresh Brewed Coffee
2 Tbsp. of Fresh Chantilly Cream
Pour Bushmills and Bailey’s into a Catalina (Irish coffee mug) glass. Pour in hot coffee, leaving room for Chantilly cream (about 1-1/2 to 2 inches from the top of the glass). Add Chantilly cream. Drizzle the green crème de menthe over the top.
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Jameson Whiskey Sour
1-1/2 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. orange juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Shake in a martini shaker. Pour over fresh ice in a bucket glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel.