I’ll get back to Jerry Thomas soon, I promise! This is another dinner party drink, this one St. Patrick’s Day themed. I found this gem of a cocktail when investigating drinks that weren’t Irish coffee, car bombs, or generally green in color.

Probably the most important (American, as opposed to Irish) news that came out recently is of course the fact that the Republicans in Congress could not agree on their own health bill, and Obamacare / the ACA remains in place for the foreseeable future. I actually like this news for two reasons: one, I am a fan of Obamacare, but two, I actually appreciate that for once people were not just blindly voting on party lines. Granted, some of the Republicans that would have voted no would have done so because it was TOO similar to Obamacare, so that’s not quite what I’m going for, but at least it’s a start.

The Irish Derby

(Adapted from this Serious Eats article)

• 1.5 oz Irish whiskey
• 0.5 oz sweet vermouth
• 0.5 oz dry curaçao
• 0.5 oz lime juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• lime twist for garnish

1. Add whiskey, sweet vermouth, curaçao, lime juice, and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime twist.

Tasting Notes

BN: I liked this! I think I was kind of heavy handed with the bitters, unfortunately, so it was Angostura-forward. But, otherwise, the lime and the Irish mixed really well in a way that I didn’t expect, and it was fresh and pleasant — not what you’d probably think of for St. Pat’s Day.

PiC: I really liked this. I thought it was good, and I wasn’t expecting to like it because I don’t love heavy alcohol drinks, but it was very drinkable. Also, I thought it had the perfect amount of bitters.