Local CT Bartenders Share St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails & Mocktails

Prominent CT bartenders shared with me what they love to make and do to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The most common answer to what they enjoy making is “plans to get my shift covered”, because we tend to hide on these holidays unless we are working. We enjoy house parties with traditional Irish food and craft minded drinks that have some real Irish pedigree.

Enjoy 4 cocktails & mocktails from local bartenders: Dustin Amore, Dan Rek, Chelsea Solkowski & Victoria Tenzyk.

Dustin Amore’s Irish Old Fashioned

Bartender: Dustin Amore

Little River Restoratives

 “I  love an Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned” The spirit guide from Hartford’s most legendary cocktail spot uses craft touches to make a brand new classic that’s perfect for a grown and sexy St Paddy’s Day.

RECIPE

2 oz Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey

.25 ounce Yellow Chartreuse 

.25 ounce Amaro Meletti 

Dash or two of Jerry Thomas Bitters 

Stir ingredients over ice.

Instead of serving on the rocks, strain the cocktail into a coupe or keep it in the standard old fashioned glass, minus the ice. The evolution will be intriguing.

Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee

Bartender: Dan Rek

Viron Rondo Osteria

Daniel Rek is an award winning CT bartender who has the distinction of working stage shifts at The Dead Rabbit (this place has the finest collection of Irish whiskey in the states and has been named the World’s Best Bar more than once). He taught me this Irish coffee recipe, and I have never made it any other way. 

RECIPE

0.5 oz. of a 2:1 ratio cane syrup

1.5 oz. of Tullamore D.E.W

2.5-3 oz. of a locally roasted coffee (Perkatory Montibello is my current choice

Topped with whipped cream, thick but not stiff peaks

dust with nutmeg

Temp the glass with hot water. Combine the whiskey, syrup and coffee and give a quick stir to dissolve the syrup. Then top with the whipped out of the blender bottle. Cream should flow like thin lava, thick enough to float but it’s still a liquid if that makes sense.

Zero Proof Irish Coffee

Bartender: Chelsea Solkowski

Birdie Lounge  

“You’ll Find me enjoying a Guiness 0%,” but behind the bar, Chelsea looks to experiment with intense flavor combinations to bring excitement and intrigue to non alcoholic renditions of holiday favorites.

RECIPE

Double Shot Espresso

3 oz Coffee/Cafe Americana

1 oz Chai Tea Syrup (add equal parts sugar and water, brew tea double strength)

Whipped Cocoa Milk (Coco Lopez, Cocoa Powder, dash vanilla extract) 

Combine coffee and espresso in a warmed Irish coffee mug or footed glass, add syrup to coffee blend

Shake or froth blend the Cocoa Milk mixture (my favorite way is in a blender bottle)

Khalid’s Favorite….

The Tipperary

Bartender: Victoria Tenzyk 

Friar Tuck’s Tavern

Debut: 1916, “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” Hugo R. Ensslin 

Perfected: Jack McGary, The Dead Rabbit 

I got the chance to work the bar at this pub mainstay in Mystic, and a guest asked me to make them an “Irish Manhattan”. This vintage drink fit the bill and introduced them to Chartruese, which is the most elegant bright green cocktail ingredient on the planet.

RECIPE

1.5 ounces Slane Irish Whiskey 

1 ounce Sweet vermouth

1/2 Ounce Green Chartruese

2 dashes Angostura Bitters 

Frozen coupe 

Stir ingredients over ice.

This baby does best in an ice cold coupe glass.