Hi, Friends of Saint Patrick. If you’re looking for an idea on what to make to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, you came to the right place. I’ll be using two of the most famous Irish exports in today’s recipes - Jameson whiskey and Guinness beer - but not in the way we’ve done before. We’ll make Irish versions of the Old Fashioned and the Espresso Martini, and yes, both of these have beer in them. These recipes work with other styles of whiskey and stout beer too, so even if you're too late for this year’s St. Paddy’s Day, you can try the cocktails any day of the year, or save them for next year.
Jameson is the most popular brand of Irish Whiskey in the world. That means that only 10% of Jameson’s production actually stays in Ireland. For today’s recipes I’ll be using Jameson Black Barrel, which was additionally aged in highly charred ex-bourbon barrels, adding charred oak notes and a tiny hint of smoke, while preserving Jameson’s signature smoothness. Jameson Stout Edition is another version that would work great in today’s cocktails.
Guinness is being served in more than 150 countries around the world, with over 10 million glasses of their stout being consumed every day. While the white, creamy head on top of Guinness beer is almost a trademark, we won’t add it as foam to our cocktails, but we’ll make a syrup with it. So before we make the Black & Gold Old Fashioned and the Irish Espresso Stoutini, I’ll show you how easy it is to make the Guinness Beer Syrup. It’s Cocktail Time!
Guinness Beer Syrup
● 200g Guinness Beer
● 200g demerara sugar
Start with a beer that has been left open so that it loses its carbonation and place it in a saucepan with the sugar. Place it on low heat and stir for the sugar to dissolve. Once all the sugar has dissolved, wait for it to cool slightly, bottle it and store it in the fridge. We’ve done a beer syrup before, using IPA beer for a BBQ Mint Julep or for the Mexican Penicillin in case you want more inspiration for what to do with this syrup!
Just like with Jameson, Ireland isn’t the biggest consumer of Guinness either - the crown goes to the United Kingdom, with either Ireland or Nigeria being ranked 2nd and 3rd, depending on what source you check - the US comes in at fourth! We’ll go straight into using it in two of the most popular cocktails, starting with our Old Fashioned variation, the Black & Gold.
Black & Gold
● 60mL (2oz) Jameson Black Barrel
● 2 barspoons Guinness Beer Syrup
● 5 dashes Cocktail Time House Bitters
● 2 drops saline solution
Start with placing a low tumbler glass in the freezer, and tempering a large, clear ice block, so they’ll both be ready once the cocktail is stirred. Now grab a mixing glass and chill it with ice first, before adding the Cocktail Time Bitters - which are a mix of aromatic, chocolate and orange bitters with a 4:4:3 ratio - followed by the Guinness Beer Syrup, the saline solution and finally the Irish whiskey. Add plenty of ice and stir to chill and dilute. About 25-30 seconds should be enough.
Get the chilled glass, add the ice cube and strain the cocktail over it, and for the finishing touch, express a ring of citrus peel over the top, then place it on the ice. Nothing else to say but - Sláinte! Orange from the aroma blends beautifully with chocolate and coffee notes from the malty stout syrup, but all of that just supports the main player - the whiskey. A wonderful variation of an Old Fashioned.
So we’ve now made a Stout Fashioned with Beer foam and a Black & Gold with beer syrup but I’ll again be using the combination of Black Barrel and our stout syrup, adding the mandatory espresso, but making it a little funkier with the addition of banana liqueur. You can probably imagine how well chocolate bitters will pair with everything, and saline is there to boost the flavors.
Irish Espresso Stoutini
● 45mL (1.5oz) Jameson Black Barrel
● 15mL (0.5oz) banana liqueur
● 15mL (0.5oz) Guinness Beer Syrup
● 1 shot espresso
● 2 dashes chocolate bitters
● 3 drops saline solution
Same as before, chill the glass. We’ll serve it in a Nick & Nora. Now chill your shaker and start adding the ingredients. Afterwards drain the shaker with ice, pour in the cocktail, and shake hard for about 10-15 seconds. Grab the chilled Nick & Nora glass and double strain the cocktail and watch the beautiful foam settle. I found inspiration for this cocktail in a Punchdrink.com article for the Espresso Stoutini, a cocktail by a New York-based bartender Fanny Chu, which you can see here.
Let’s now give it a try, sláinte! Coffee aroma is the first thing you perceive, with stout being present too. Flavor-wise notes of cocoa and chocolate from stout and bitters are tied nicely with coffee and Jameson in this airy and creamy cocktail. Banana provides a subtle tropical tone without overpowering any of the other ingredients. Wonderful cocktail.
Before you leave, I’d love to hear what’s your favorite cocktail related to a yearly celebration in the comments of the episode on YouTube - something you look forward to every year around a specific date - doesn’t have to be Saint Patrick’s. Thanks for watching, drink responsibly and I’ll see you next week. Cheers!