TD 1
BARFLY Michael McDermott 1. FULL-BODIED “So much
red wine from Bordeaux was consumed by Ireland’s nobility and gentry in the eighteenth century that Jonathan Swift referred to it as ‘Irish wine’ in his letters, in the full knowledge that his correspondent would understand that he meant claret,” writes Patricia McCarthy in her introduction to Enjoying Claret in Georgian Dublin. In 1745, the fourth earl of Chesterfield observed that, “Drinking is a most beastly vice in every country, but it is really a ruinous one in Ireland; nine gentlemen in ten in Ireland are impoverished by the great quantity of claret, which, from mistaken notions of hospitality and dignity, they think it necessary should be drunk in their houses; this expense leaves them no room to improve their estates, by proper indulgence upon proper conditions to their tenants, who must pay them to the full, and upon the very day, that they may pay their wine-merchants.” Examining questions such as how was the domestic wine cellar planned and used? When did connoisseurship in wine commence and why did ‘toasts’ figure so prominently? McCarthy pours a sobering and enlightened view to these times. Raise a glass to this full-bodied work. Enjoying Claret in Georgian Dublin: A History of Amiable Excess in published by Four Courts Press, €36. 2. BRAMBLE ON Behold and pour the latest addition to the Craft Cocktail family – The Bramble. This contemporary classic cocktail took London’s Soho by storm in the mid 1980’s. Deceptively simple, we are told, “Its familiar and balanced flavours transport you back to those childhood winter days picking blackberries.” Made from a blend of gins, crème de mure, blackberry wine and citrus this cocktail is best enjoyed over ice with a fresh blackberry garnish. craftcocktails.ie €12.50-€35 3. PLONK AND POUR We love a smart wine glass with a twist and Loose Canon’s partnership with Dublin-based illustrator Marina Marinina has served up just that. Featuring bathers sitting on the appropriate level pour, it serves humour and information in the perfect measure. 6 glasses (his and hers mix), €50. marina-marinina.com Loose Canon, 29 Drury Street, George’s Street Arcade. 4. WILD ABOUT EVE Originating in the Outer Hebrides upon which soil they planted roses along with chamomile, oats and a plethora of other plants as well as sugar kelp from the seas and a select few machair meadow wild flowers, Wild Eve is a non-alcoholic botanical infusion. Now it’s part of The Virgin Mary’s mix as part of The Wild Eve Milk Punch. A serve includes a blend of roasted coconut water, curry leaf, lemongrass, and honey, and is available now for €9. wild-eve.com thevirginmary.com (Thurs/Fri/Sat 5-11pm) 5. MOSS LANE The latest haunt for whiskey connoisseurs is here. Moss Lane is where O’Neill’s Townhouse once was. The new focus is whiskey where they offer more than 20 luxury whiskies by the glass. They also have their own Red Ale on tap, brewed by Hopburgh. 37 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. @mosslanedublin 40