The Emerald Cocktail

Tonight, for no reason other than my taster requested a drink with Irish Whiskey, I present to you, The Emerald. It is not green, nor is it a hokey St. Patrick's Day drink. The Emerald Cocktail is a variation on The Manhattan, but with Irish Whiskey instead of Rye, and orange bitters instead of Angostura bitters. And, there is no maraschino cherry.  

Aside - I was surprised to note that the Irish spell whiskey with an "e".  The Scotch don't use the e and neither do the Canadians.  I wish the Americans didn't either. I just prefer Whisky to Whiskey.
Less is more. Except when we are talking about really good French Fries. In that case, more is always best.

But, back to the drink. I have Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey in what I am going to start calling my "BARder", so I used it. It's a lovely smooth whiskey. I don't find it nearly as interesting as Scotch Whisky or Bourbon, but it is quite nice.  I prefer it solo, either neat with a drop of water, or on ice. It turns out that most people do. There are very, very, few cocktails that call for Irish Whiskey. Apparently, it does not play well with others.

I must confess that I had a sip of The Emerald this evening, but I didn't make one for myself. I opted for my go-to cocktail of late, The Negroni. I detest The Manhattan Cocktail (ironic seeing how much I adore Manhattan.) Since tonight's cocktail is a variation on one, I knew it would not be for me.  It might, however, be for you. My taster, a Manhattan Cocktail fan - but not at all a fan of Manhattan, go figure - really loved this drink. Very. Much.

While it did not appeal to my taste buds, it was quite appealing to my eyes.  It had a surprising and rather fetching amber color. I garnished with some orange peels and a freshly picked black raspberry from our garden. If you haven't eaten raspberries still warm from the sun, you haven't eaten raspberries. They are delicious and I will be featuring them in a libation in the next week or so.

Here is our Irish Beauty:

Apologies for the screen in the background. But still, it's a pretty drink, no?

The Emerald Cocktail

2 ounces Irish Whiskey

1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

2 goodly dashes orange bitters (as always, I use Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6)

Pour the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake whilst doing an Irish Jig. Strain into a cocktail glass or a coupe. Garnish as you like.  Raise your glass to St. Patrick. Enjoy.

Cheers and until next time -

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.