On this day of Irish heritage being celebrated by many ethnicities there will be a number of potables to be consumed. Tankards of Guinness will be flowing for certain, and some might be opting for more cordial offerings employing the sweet elixir from Bailey’s. But to be drinking a proper honorific beverage you should be opting for Irish Whiskey.
The regional designation should not be a requirement for a very basic reason: The Irish were the ones to develop this spirit recognized the world over. While other lands developed their own, from Scotch to Canadian to the American variations in Tennessee and the segregated bourbon, none would be known were it not for the endeavors from the isle of emerald hue.
The creation and the naming derive from this country. The etymology is rather straightforward, while the exact origins of the product may be interpretational. The spirit was referred to as “the water of life,” the Latin being Aqua Vitae, and the Irish translation being Uisge Beatha, so truly what we are all saying when we are ordering is “give me a water.”
The exact creation of the spirit as it is known is open for conjecture as this was a lengthy process, and the R&D aspects were not yet established; no one set out to specifically make whiskey, it was an evolutionary development meted out over a length of time, with early forms of distillation beginning in the region in the 1100s, and whiskey being a known commodity not being a factor for more than a century later, and a heavy dose of folklore is always blended into the original mixture. Thus, both the Irish and the Scotts claim the heritage.
The two predominant theories do not begin with an attempt at creating a new drink. One is that monks brought guides on creating alcohol-based perfumes, and distillation was the main driver of the base element. This began the alchemist experimentation the monks were known for, developing into drinkable spirits. The alternative but similar origin story, offered by the late whiskey and beer expert Michael Jackson, was that a family of physicians developed the distillation for initial medicinal products based on the interpretation of Arab medical texts. That these doctors serviced patients in both Ireland and Scotland only keeps the murky history permanently up for debate.
To this day, there remain opinions on the proper spelling, be it “Whiskey” or “Whisky,” with the Scottish preference being the latter. In Ireland and the U.S., the additional “e” is employed, something that raised the ire of New York Times readers/drinkers to the extent they enshrined that variation into its stylebook.
While it is highly recognized today, Irish whiskey carries something of a contemporary popularity. Despite its history over the epochs, in a not-too-distant past, the spirit had fallen out of favor. The Irish version had dominated globally up to the start of the 1900s, and then a series of factors impacted its popularity. From the fight for independence, a subsequent trade war with Britain, the U.S. prohibition, and more took place so that by the 1970s, Ireland was a shadow of its former whiskey production greatness.
By that time, only Bushmills Distillery was surviving, with a trio of others consolidating into a lone entity. Gradually, though, the amber elixir from the Emerald Isle regained its luster and is as robust as it used to be. Today, the country sports 50 locations crafting this spirit, more distillers than it had at its previous peak circa 1900.
The Irish Slammer (aka “The Irish Car Bomb”)
Guinness Beer
½ shot Bushmills Irish Whiskey
½ shot Bialey’s Irish Cream
Fill a pint glass ⅔-¾ full of Guinness. In a shot glass, combine the whiskey and cordial, then drop into the beer and drink continuously.
