TD 1
BARFLY WE CALL THIS POWER “BAR 1661 has gone from
a local spot to a global player, and this menu is the proof.” So proclaimed these pages when the popular Green Street bar first launched ‘We Call This Power’ at the end of last year. Now, just a few short months later, we are delighted to see their bar menu in manifesto form arise and take its place amongst the top ten nominees for the World’s Best Cocktail menu. The prestigious nomination is part of the 2025 Spirited Awards honouring excellence across the global bar industry. Announcing the news, innovator Dave Mulligan described the nod as “humbling to say the least”. With the outcome of this year’s competition due to be revealed in July, the creative brain behind the trailblazing Dublin bar added, “As a menu that celebrates Irish poitín, Irish drinks and Irish producers ‘We Call This Power’ is our statement of intent as a bar. To see it recognised on this level makes us incredibly proud.” Us too. @1661bar HOLY ORDERS DROPPING WELL The Dropping Well has come a long way since the dark days of 1847 when it first plied its trade as a community morgue and public house. The years since have seen it revert to full use as a pub, while also forging a steady reputation for good quality food. Having been taken over by Bill Chawke in 1959, present day ownership continues in the hands of the family, who tell us that they “strive to offer a farm to table, seasonally changing menu, while providing exceptional, genuine hospitality”. In addition to the recent launch of a fresh new menu by Head Chef Virlan Constantine, the riverside tavern also carries a great range of drinks and spirits, including two exclusive beers honouring Chawke family publicans of yore. Bill Chawke’s Legacy Lager is a gluten free offering with light hops and malt notes, while Aunty Lena’s Pale Ale comes with a refreshing hint of citrus fruit notes. It’s also great to see a beer menu with a full listing of allergens – something that’s lamentably still all too rare in many hostelries frequented by this barfly. Drop in! @thedroppingwell In addition to hosting a wealth of artisan food experiences, the recently opened Priory Market in Tallaght is also home to Priory Brewing, an award-winning microbrewery that also happens to be the country’s first social enterprise brewery. Located on the spot where the Archbishop of Dublin established a summer palace with a small brewery and hop garden around 250 years ago, all profits are re-invested into local enterprise development and jobs. In a cheeky nod to its historic past, the crafty modern day brewers have concocted a series of IPAs bearing names including Venial Sin, Original Sin and Mortal Sin. Also in the mix is ‘Plenary Indulgence’, a tempting pint of porter that makes the pilgrimage to South County Dublin more than worth your while. Oh, and while you’re there, grab a brew from their cool new Craft Beer Tank Bar. Amen! @priorybrewing 34