St. Patrick’s Day drinks that will turn beer green with envy
There are about 30 brands of Irish whiskey on LCBO shelves
Irish whiskey used to be the liquor world’s original two-party system. You could have a Jameson. Or you could have a Bushmills.
Those days are well and truly over. With 30-something choices at the LCBO, alone, lucky revellers this St. Patrick’s Day will have no shortage of options for when they want to raise a glass of Irish. That’s a fraction of what’s available globally, of course. Abroad, we’d be able to sample one of several new releases: Roe & Co, a premium blend, Trader Joe’s own brand or, for music fans, the Pogues’ own signature brand, which was launched in 2015, but still hasn’t reached our shores.
But back to Jameson for a moment. To a sizable degree, Jameson is responsible for the Irish whiskey boom. Many bartenders still make it their shot of choice because of its blue-collar appeal (it’s like Pabst Blue Ribbon for beer drinkers). And it’s because of that blue-collar thing that Jason Masse, head bartender at Allen’s on the Danforth, one of Toronto’s bestknown Irish bars, says Jameson was always more popular than Bushmills.
“I think Jameson is still the go-to in that it’s the original and I think it was most people’s first foray into Irish whiskey,” Masse says.
“Irish has certainly come a long way, though, and there’s certainly a much more diverse selection now.”
Masse has seen a tremendous uptick in patrons looking to try something new. With roughly 20 different Irish whiskeys on his back bar, there’s something for everyone. He says you can’t ever go wrong with Redbreast, which he calls “quintessential Irish,” and for those looking for something with a little more meat on it, he recommends smoky Tyrconnell. Like something more complex and creamy? Then Green Spot is your ticket. And for people who favour simplicity, a straight-up, classic, sweet flavour profile of Writers Tears is perfect. Overall, though, Masse says it’s hard to err with Irish, which is why, whenever he has a guest who wants to learn about whiskey for the first time, he almost always starts them with that spirit.
“The great thing about Irish whiskey is that it’s generally very smooth, since it’s distilled a couple of times and is really easy-drinking,” he says. “It’s the perfect gateway whiskey.”