4 Whiskey Cocktails for Classic Irish Imbibing

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If you've had your fill of Guinness and green food coloring, you're probably in need of some classic whiskey cocktails to toast St. Patrick with tonight. Mix up one of these shamrock sippers and you'll put your party right over the rainbow.

Tipperary Cocktail
Mixologist Yael Vengroff passed along her favorite adaptation of a recipe that first appeared in the 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin, a bartender at the Wallick Hotel. This whiskey-spiked cocktail gives us both Irish whiskey and a sweet touch of green for the Irish county it's named after. There days, bartenders have thankfully up-ed the whiskey and reduced the amount of chartreuse to balance the sweetness and alcohol.
INGREDIENTS:

2 oz. Redbreast Irish Whiskey 1 oz. Carpano Antica sweet vermouth 1/2 oz. green chartreuse
PREPARATION: Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Cameron's Kick
 This crisp and refreshing cocktail first appeared in the Savoy. With equal parts of Irish and Scotch whiskey, you get the best of both world and an unbeatable flavor. The refreshing taste comes from the lemon juice and the use of orgeat syrup as a sweetener-a concoction of sugar, almonds and rose or orange flower water. Tip: Yael notes that, "you can adjust the scotch depending on how peaty you want the drink to taste. For those that enjoy the taste of peat, I would recommend using something like Laphroaig 10 year or Compass Box Peat Monster."

INGREDIENTS: 1 oz. Famous Grouse Scotch 1 oz. Jameson's Irish Whiskey 3/4 oz. orgeat syrup 3/4 oz. lemon juice

PREPARATION: Shake over ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Black Derby
A twist on the classic old school Brown Derby cocktail, the Black Derby version replaces Bourbon with Irish whiskey to pack a powerful punch of alcohol with a perfect balance of sweet and sour. A favorite of the bartenders over at Five Points, the updated version was first served by a bartender from the Manhattan speakeasy Milk & Honey.
INGREDIENTS: 2 oz. Irish whiskey 1 oz. grapefruit juice 1/2 oz. of honey syrup
PREPARATION: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake ingredients and strain into a rocks glass. Technique: To make honey syrup, mix one part honey with one part warm water until honey is completely dissolved. The result will be much like simple syrup.

Powers Irish Whiskey
If you're not one for excessive shaking, stirring and straining, Bobo Restaurant's Beverage Director Adam Rothstein recommends Powers Irish whiskey served straight up. Already the most popular whiskey in Ireland (yes, it even beats out Jameson), Powers is finally gaining recognition on this side of the pond. There's something very soothing and warm about this particular bottle-it's got the right combo of smoky and oaky flavors with a smooth finish. Trick: To enjoy whiskey on its own, drink it neat or add a little water to your taste. Now that's a good pot of gold. You can also add it to coffee sugar and heavy cream for an eye-opening Irish coffee.






For more tips, tricks and techniques about whiskey and other Irish cocktails, visit Behind the Burner.

-Written by Celeste Hughey