A Bartender’s Guide to Irish Whiskey - Find. Eat. Drink.
Irish Whiskey, Sipping, Mixing, Shooting, Shots, Whisky, What To Drink, Recommendations, Bartender Jack McGarry, Barman, Irish Pub, The Dead Rabbit, Insider Recommendations, Bar, Redbreast 12 YearOld, Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel, Powers Original, Powers Gold Label Original, Locke’s 8 Year Old, Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Single Malt, Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old, Cocktail Recipes
Jack guides us through his favorite Irish whiskeys for both mixing in cocktails and sipping neat.
A Bartender’s Guide to Irish Whiskey
November 14, 2013
Recommendations from Barman Jack McGarry of The Dead Rabbit in NYC
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Mixing
Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel
For drinks of the shaken nature, which are generally lighter and more citrus-led, I'd go for Black Barrel. It not only performs as an Irish whiskey, but can also put on the bourbon coat. We are all about showcasing Irish whiskey, so this avenue of introduction is really helpful and it works really well due to the popularity of bourbon. The Bankers Punch, for example, is one of our best sellers and it’s a mix of Black Barrel, Dead Rabbit Jamaican Rum Mix, Grahams LBV Port Wine, fresh lime juice, raspberry cordial, and Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters.
Redbreast 12 Year Old
For stirred drinks, I'd go for Redbreast. It’s a pure pot-stilled Irish whiskey and is very robust. It can stand toe-to-toe with most ingredients. Drinks like the Tipperary go down a treat with Redbreast. We get asked a lot for Manhattan-style drinks and this is the one we constantly recommend. The Tipperary is made with equal proportions of Redbreast 12 Year Old, Dolin Rouge Vermouth and Green Chartreuse with Orange Bitters and Pernod Absinthe.
Powers Gold Label Original
For pure versatility purposes, I use Powers Original Irish Whiskey. Irish whiskey is generally viewed as a slightly sweeter style of whiskey and also viewed (which is changing) as a shot. That market is dominated by Jamesons Original. Powers is the Irish whiskey which can hold its own in the mixed drinks arena, but I'd love to see people start taking shots of it also, just because its slightly drier.
Sipping
Locke’s 8 Year Old
Unfortunately, it’s not available in US and it’s probably not going to be made anymore due to the acquisition of the Cooley Distillery by Jim Beam. It’s a powerfully rich Irish whiskey with a good dose of peat and smoke.
Tyrconnell 10 Year Olds
It comes in different wood finishes: Madeira, Sherry and Port. They are beautiful whiskeys and really demonstrate how the different wood expressions influence Irish whiskey.
Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old
It’s a beautifully balanced whiskey and a perfect one for the winter months. It’s got just the right amount of sweetness, richness and complexity.
Other Irish Spirits
We are currently working on developing our Poitín which is not too dissimilar to Moonshine or White Whiskey. We expect this to be ready for the launch of our new menu on February 12th, 2014. Stay tuned.
Cocktail Recipes
Punch at The Dead Rabbit
Photograph courtesy of The Dead Rabbit | Photo Credit: Gabi Porter
- The Dead Rabbit’s Bankers Punch
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Image courtesy of Powers Whiskey
