Mixology Monday CXVI: Irish Wake

It's that time, for the last time.

Our fearless leader has decided that Mixology Monday has run it's course. You can read the announcement here: http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.ca/2017/02/mixology-monday-announcement.html

"So it is time for the final theme, the Irish wake. The Irish wake is a funeral tradition that is a send-off that begins at the time of death until the body is handed over to the church. It is viewed as a crucial part of the grieving process. My first Irish wake was a little over a year ago when Boston barman Ryan McGrale met his untimely demise. While the wake part with the family was sober, the mourning process with the Boston bartenders and the New York City ones who traveled up was most certainly not. Irish whiskey flowed. I remember getting home and wondering why my key would not work and I considered sleeping in the garage. Turns out, it was the wrong key on my key ring and it took awhile to figure that out. So what better way to celebrate the life and times of Mixology Monday and its 11 year run as the premiere "monthly online cocktail party" than with Irish whiskey."

The illustrious Doug has some thoughts on what blogging meant and what it means now. I however will tell a little story, as is my wont. I tried a good many drinks for this theme. I tried more than I usually do. Irish whiskey is not often in my cupboard so a-searching I went for recipes. There are some in my library which are nearly all to be found at Savoy Stomp. Notably I made myself an Irish Cocktail and Cameron's Kick. I even made a Good Things Come with floral bitters!.  By and large my experience was in line with the experiences of Messrs. Ellestad and Yarm so I didn't feel a need to retread those drinks. So what to make then? My thoughts went to the drink that in March 2014 made my bottle of Jameson disappear. This drink also had been blogged before so I think I'll tell you about my technique, eventually. First the recipe:

Irish Derby

1.5 oz Jameson

0.5 oz Byrrh*

0.5 Cointreau

0.5 oz lime juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 long lime zest

Second the instructions (and meandering): I shall point out that Elena instructs to first cut the lime with a channel knife. I do not do this first. First I make an ad hoc mise en place of my supplies and tools. Often I have not chilled the glass I intend to use. My preferred method is to fill the glass with ice (preferably cracked ice) and then add water. Like so:

While the glass is chilling we get to the rest of the process. Separate your Boston shaker. Measure you ingredients and pour them into the metal tin. Once all is poured in fill the glass (the glass of the shaker set!) with ice. Join the tin and the glass firmly and shake. Shake shake shake! Separate the glass from the tin. Set the glass in your sink and rinse now or later. Double strain from the tin into your coupe. Once the cocktail glass is full zest the lime. Zest the lime above the drink so as to add citrus oils to the drink. Drop the peel in. Take a photo. Write a blog post. Enjoy your cocktail:

There you have it. That's how I make a (shaken) drink, mostly. I think I covered all the steps. If you have questions please comment on this blog or @ me on twitter or Instagram. If you need advice on how to easily separate your Boston shaker once shaking has created a vacuum I suggest reading The Bar Book.

Cheers!

Thank you one and all!

Be well.

*I made a substitution.