For the next few weeks I will be mixing and tasting Whiskey from the Emerald Isle. The spirit from Ireland has been making a strong comeback as evidenced by a surge in sales worldwide including a 20% increase in sales in the United States last year (see: The Spirits Business).
In an effort to reflect this increased popularity, I am attempting to increase both in the number of reviews I publish, and in the selection of cocktail suggestions that I provide for Irish Whiskey.
With that in mind, here is a mixed drink that combines Irish Whiskey with Sweet Vermouth and Bitters. The libation is called the Emerald, and it is a close relative of the popular North American cocktail, the Manhattan. It is important, when mixing an Emerald, to consider the pairing of Sweet Vermouth and Irish Whisky as each spirit has a multitude of brands, and the flavour profiles of each can differ significantly. As I happen to be mixing with a flavourful copper pot distilled Irish Whiskey, I chose the bold Cinzano Rosso which also has a complex flavour profile, one which I felt would pair well with my chosen Irish Whiskey, Hell-Cat Maggie.
The Emerald
1 1/2 oz Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey
3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso Sweet Vermouth
3-4 drops Angostura Orange Bitters
Ice
Orange Peel & Brandied Cherries
Add the three ingredients with ice cubes into a metal shaker
Shake until chilled
Double strain into a Martini Glass
Garnish with a strip of Orange Peel and a few Brandied Cherries
Enjoy Responsibly!
If you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!
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Note: My new review for Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey will publish this coming Saturday.
Chimo!
Things came together for this cocktail when I received a sample of Mount Gay’s Black Barrel Rum. The thought occurred to me that the complexity of Mount Gay Rum parallelled the complexity of Scotch Whisky. Would it be possible I wondered, to swap out not only Cherry Heering for Wisnak na Rumie, but also to swap out Scotch Whisky for Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum.
I have been revisiting some of those early cocktails with the idea that perhaps some of them should be polished up, and perhaps some should be dropped from my cocktail section entirely. However, after reviewing these early servings, I realized that every once in a while in those early days of my blog, I got it right. And that is the definitely the case with the recipe I am sharing today.
This year, as Winter seemed to linger well into the Spring, I turned the idea towards one of my favourite rum families, Appleton Estate Rum. My new mixed drink, Rum Février mixes Appleton’s Brash Signature VX Blended Rum with their newly re-branded Appleton Estate Rare 12 Year Old Rum again, in the style of the classic Sidecar. Although we are trending well away from Winter, my new rum cocktail also seems to suit the latter half of this cool Spring.
The Rum Howler Blog 