• Writer’s Tears Gaelic Gold Manhattan

With Saint Patrick’s day soon approaching it’s time to start celebrating with some of the small batch Irish Whiskeys now available in the states. Not so long ago the selection of Irish Whiskey was limited to a few large brands owned by large conglomerates, with one or two specialties available in limited quantities. In the last 5 to 10 years Ireland’s craft beverage movement has blossomed with the addition of small whiskey distilleries popping up everywhere in the Republic.

In 2009 the Walsh Whiskey family launched Writer’s Tears, a favorite of mine that I first tasted in Dublin at the Celtic Whiskey Shop. Recently available in the US Writer’s Tears is a special vatting of aged single pot still and single malt whiskey made without grain , triple distilled and aged in American oak casks that previously held Bourbon. On the palate its delicious flavor of ginger, butterscotch, and honeyed spice linger to a smooth finish filled with a hint of chocolate. It is fabulous on its own or mixed into my Gaelic Gold Manhattan, a twist on a classic that brings the flavor of the Emerald Isle to the Big Apple. What are you waiting for? Start celebrating!

Gaelic Gold Manhattan

2 ounces Writer’s Tears

1 ounce Doulins Dry Vermouth

1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacoa

1 bar spoon Bittermens Amere Sauvage

Juice 1 medium orange

Build above ingredients in shaker with fresh ice, shake vigorously and pour into chilled up glass. Garnish with orange peel and candied Chamomile buds.

*To make candied chamomile garnish coat dried chamomile flowers with beaten egg white, coat well with sugar and dry overnight on parchment paper.