A St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Recipe that Blends Old and New: the Tipperary - Wine & Spirits Magazine

A St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Recipe that Blends Old and New: the Tipperary

by Rachel DelRocco Terrazas • March 15, 2019

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One of my gigs as a bartender in Austin was at the opening of the speakeasy Midnight Cowboy. Training me on their famed bar cart was Steven Robbins, who is now regional director of bar operations for Chris Bostick’s 213 Hospitality group. Whenever I was given the Irish whiskey dealer’s choice call, I was always stumped. It was Steven who changed that for me, and the course for every Irish whiskey drinker who asked me for an Irish cocktail, when he introduced me to the Tipperary. These days, the Tipperary has become my go to St. Patrick’s Day cocktail recipe.

The drink is steeped in history. Legend has it that a bartender created this drink when a guest walked in humming “It’s Long Road to Tipperary,” a ballad sung by Irish soldiers in World War I. The Tipperary cocktail first appeared in Hugo R. Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks and eventually the famed Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930.

Traditionally, the Tipperary has been a cocktail of equal parts Irish whiskey, Italian vermouth, and green Chartreuse. It was shaken and served without garnish. That equal-parts cocktail is certainly a popular option, but at Wine & Spirits, we adjust it a bit to account for balance, sweetness, and a proper showcase of Chartreuse. We swapped out Italian vermouth for French to bring a lightness to the palate. And, we upped the whiskey—here using Kilbeggan because, well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day.

Ingredients

1½ oz Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
¾ oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth
½ oz Green Chartreuse

Instructions

Stir in a mixing glass, then strain into a martini glass. Spritz an orange peel for an added touch of zest.

Rachel DelRocco Terrazas

is the former W&S Tasting Director turned freelance writer for the Vintner Project.

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TAGS Cocktail Recipe Cocktail Recipes Recipes Whiskey

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