Tipperary Cocktail

March 12, 2021 by Jennifer

So, St. Patrick’s Day is next Wednesday, and like most events over the past year, I’m sure this year’s festivities “will look a little (or a lot) different”. Here in California bars aren’t open yet for indoor dining. If you live anywhere else in the country, however, you may be able to celebrate at your local Irish pub. But if you’re not comfortable going out to bars and restaurants yet, that’s totally okay! You don’t need to miss out on the celebration. You can celebrate at home! Make corned beef and cabbage! Cover your walls with shamrocks and rainbows! Have a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast. However you celebrate the green holiday, go all out and celebrate!

You may have noticed the one thing I didn’t list in the celebration necessities was green beer. If you’re a green beer fan… well the only thing I can ask is WHY?! I mean, seriously, there are so many other options. Have a pint of Guinness, enjoy a Black & Tan or just pop open a bottle of Irish beer. But PUT DOWN THE GREEN BEER. There’s no reason for it. If you really need to imbibe something green, go with a cocktail. There are plenty of options from the Last Word to a Midori Sour. But who says you need to drink something green? Why couldn’t you just enjoy a nice Irish cocktail? You can! But you don’t know any Irish cocktails? Well, that’s why I’m here: to help with your cocktail options. You know I have one for every occasion. This week let me introduce you to the Tipperary.

The Tipperary is a classic cocktail that hails all the way from 1916… or 1922 depending on which version you shake up. Yes, there are two different versions but they use the same ingredients. How does a cocktail have two versions when the ingredients are the same? It’s all about the measurements. The original 1916 version from Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks uses equal parts Irish whiskey, Green Chartreuse and Sweet Vermouth. Having tried this version, I’m here to tell you while it’s drinkable, it’s definitely on the sweeter side.

Then there’s the 1922 version from Harry McElhone and his ABC of Mixing Cocktails. This version uses almost all the same ingredients but changes up the measurements, and by changing the measurements he changed the flavor. This version is much, much more palatable. Because the sweet vermouth and green Chartreuse were cut and more Irish whiskey was added you get a much more balanced, much more pleasant cocktail. And yes, having tried both, I definitely prefer this version.

So, how did the cocktail come about? Well, the story goes that a man walked into Ensslin’s New York City bar humming the tune “It’s a Long Road to Tipperary”, a song often sung by Irish soldiers during WWI who longed to return to their Emerald Isle home. He sidled up to the bar and ordered a drink. Of course Ensslin, being the expert bartender he was, obliged. He created the Tipperary right there on the spot and dubbed it such in honor of the tune the patron was humming.

Yes, this cocktail isn’t green, but it uses Irish whiskey and has green chartreuse, so it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. The fact that it’s waaaay better than any pint of green beer, honestly makes it a no brainer. So, on Wednesday grab some Irish whiskey and a little green chartreuse and shake up this 1922 tipple. And if you want to hum a few bars of “It’s a Long Road to Tipperary” while sipping, that’s totally all right with me.