Irish Sour [RECIPE]

Green beer and Guinness have long been St. Patrick’s Day staples, but the Emerald Isle has much more to offer those celebrating its unofficial holiday. Irish whiskey, for one (and we’re not just talking shots and car bombs). Smooth, slightly sweet, and known for its easy drinkability, Irish whiskey is a natural ingredient for crowd-pleasing cocktails.

This Irish Sour is a light twist on the classic, usually made with rye. Fresh mint rounds out the edges and adds an herbal note to the sweet/spicy/sour profile of the drink, while also lending a holiday-perfect hue. Top your green tipple with edible gold, and you’ve got a cocktail that couldn’t look and taste more festive. Sláinte!

Ingredients: 

• 4 oz Irish whiskey
• 1.5 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz fresh squeezed and strained lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 egg whites
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

In a blender, combine the mint leaves with the whiskey. Blend at low speed for three seconds, then at high speed for three seconds. Let rest for a minute, then strain (with a fine mesh strainer) into a cocktail shaker. Add the remaining ingredients, then shake hard for thirty seconds. Add ice to the shaker (open slowly and carefully — the foam will want to explode), shake for an additional fifteen seconds, then pour into a cocktail glass.

For the garnish, score a small sheet of edible gold leaf into smaller, irregular pieces with an exacto knife or clean box cutter. Edible gold leaf is very delicate and will stick to whatever it touches, so be careful! Use wax paper (or the paper the leaf is packaged in) to stabilize the sheet as you cut it rather than touching it directly with your fingers. Then use a clean paintbrush to transfer the small gold pieces onto the top of the foam.

Garnish: Edible gold leaf or sprig of fresh mint

Yields: 2 servings