I am a bit of a purist when it comes to Scottish and Irish whiskeys. For me, a whiskey neat with maybe a drop or two of water is perfection. It's a rarity that I will ever drink Scottish or Irish whiskey in a cocktail (except for The Penicillin here). I think the complex European whiskey flavours (the peatier the better) that distillers have been perfecting for 100's of years, tend to get lost when mixed with syrups and juice.
Image above: Guinness Ale House, Dublin (a must-see in Dublin - 7 floors of Dublin & the cities ale history)
On a recent trip to Ireland, however, I had a cocktail in Dublin that included Irish Whiskey and Guinness Ale, and I decided that maybe I needed to expand my purist whiskey mindset. The Dublin cocktail was almost black in colour (thanks to the Guinness), yet tasted citrusy and refreshing, despite the amount of alcohol (thanks to the whiskey) it contained.
Image above: My mom and I at the Jameson Distillery in County Cork, Ireland (also a must-see for the Whiskey lovers in your life), Image below: The famous Jameson's original copper pot still
Upon arriving home, I began to research and taste test cocktails that combined both Guinness and Whiskey. I haven't yet found the same flavour combination as the cocktail I had in Dublin, but I can definitely say I've had fun trying! Below is a cocktail adapted from @sugarandcharm. The idea to reduce the Guinness into a syrup, adding viscosity (smoothness) to the finished drink, without the foam - brilliant, was all hers.
I hope you enjoy this Irish drink. Watch out for leprechauns though, because after a couple of these cocktails, you just might be lucky enough to spot one!
Happy St Patrick's Day!
Sláinte,
Krista
The Lucky Leprechaun, adapted from Sugar & Charm here
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
For the Cocktail
2 oz Jameson whiskey
1 oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 oz Guinness syrup
1/2 oz mint simple syrup
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
mint leaves, to garnish
For the Guinness Syrup Reduction
2 cans Guiness Ale
1 cup sugar
For the Mint Simple Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
6 mint leaves, fresh
Method
For The Guinness Syrup Reduction
Add the Guinness and sugar to a medium sauce pan. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat temperature to low and simmer until the liquid has thickened into a syrup, and reduced to 1/3 of it's original volume. This could take up to 45 minutes. Remove sauce pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour mixture into a glass bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
For The Mint Simple Syrup
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Add mint leaves to syrup and allow liquid to steep for 5 minutes. Strain syrup, removing mint leaves, into a glass container and refrigerate until ready to use.
For The Cocktail
In a cocktail shaker add whiskey, lemon juice, Guinness syrup and mint syrup. Fill shaker with ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker is chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail coupe. Add 1-2 mint leaves for garnish.
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