LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
W L
LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
by David Beaufort-Dysart
Hello , fellow whisk ( e ) y lovers . " Give every man his dew "
I like that saying it ’ s like everyone deserves to be treated fairly , with respect and recognition , oh and everyone gets a dram ! Happy days ...
Daniel Edmund Williams was the General Manager ( eventually owner ) of the Daly distillery in Tullamore , County Offaly . The Grandson of Daniel , Desmond Williams developed Irish Mist , an Irish liqueur made from a blend of whiskey , herbs and honey , made using a recipe alleged to have disappeared in the late 17th century and to have been rediscovered in a manuscript 250 years later .
Williams also capitalised on the Irish coffee concept , ' let ’ s smell the coffee ' and learn the secrets to making , what I think is the perfect Irish Coffee .
What you need :
• 50ml double cream ( colder the better )
• 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar ( I like to use muscovado )
• 50ml of Irish Whiskey ; ideally Tullamore D . E . W !
• 150ml of freshly brewed coffee
• Dark chocolate to grate on top !
What you do :
• Heat a thick glass with hot water - a latte type glass works best .
• Whip the cream lightly so it slides off the spoon ( not too thick ) and put back in the fridge .
• Place sugar in a pan , add two tablespoons of water , heat and stir until the sugar melts .
• Add your Tullamore D . E . W . to the pan , combine ( careful it does not light !)
• Throw away the water from the glass , add the liquid and stir in the coffee .
• Spoon the cream on top of the coffee ( using the back of a teaspoon .)
• Finish with a grating of dark chocolate ! Voila , put your feet up , drink and savour !
Apparently , the drink was invented by Joe Sheridan , a Chef working at a restaurant in Limerick , he would make the drink for frozen passengers arriving off the flying boat , I imagine this drink brought them back to life with a hearty smile !
Joe emigrated to San Francisco and started working at Bueno Vista Cafe -where this iconic drink started in the US ! It ’ s so popular today that the cafe serves nearly two thousand Irish Coffee ' s daily ! ‘ They must be ‘ creaming it ’ in Scandinavia , ' eau de vie ' in France , and ' uisge beatha ' in Gaelic , Whiskey in the Jar is an old Irish Ballad and as some of you may know the song by the Irish rock band ‘ Thin Lizzie ’.
Tullamore D . E . W . is presented in the iconic rectangular Tully bottle , however the team in Ireland received a call one morning to learn that their glass manufacturer ’ s warehouse had caught fire and that they would not be able to meet supply of the glass for a few months .
The Tully team went into overdrive to find a solution to the bottle shortage , as not to prevent any impact in the supply of one of the World ’ s most popular Irish whiskeys . “ A round glass bottle has been found that looks different from the popular and distinctive original bottle .” So , look out for the round bottle may be worth keeping for keeps sake !
Before we taste , let us have a recap on how I taste , again try this method or ' go your own way '!
The Glass : ideally , I recommend you use a Glencairn glass , I ( and many ) see it as the official whisk ( e ) y tasting glass .
Pour and nose : add 20-25 ml of whiskey to the glass , give it a gentle swirl then waft the glass from side to side under the nose ( smelling lightly is the key ) you need to get past the first hit of alcohol , then look for the character of your dram , try and focus on first impressions ; fruit ? floral ? woody ? smoke ? peat ?
Tullamore D . E . W . Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey Triple distilled and patiently aged in a combination of old ex-bourbon and sherry casks . Won Double Gold at the International Spirits Challenge 2020 Colour : Golden Amber Nose : Fruity with digestive biscuit . Caramel and toffee sweetness . Taste : Orange peel , spice , butter and honey , vanilla cream . Finish : Vegetal with a caramel and toffee finish .
“ The light music of whisky falling into glasses made an agreeable interlude .”
James Joyce , Dubliners Until next time ... Slàinté
I was given an old flagon bottle of Tullamore from the 1960 ' s , ( see pic .) The words on the flagon say ; ' this jar contains ‘ UISGE BAUGH ' or water of life ( which the Romans called concentrated alcohol ). That term became ' akvavit '
30 wirrallife . com