What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 237 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!
Thanks for joining us for another interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you. In this delicious, philosophical conversation with James Doherty of Sliabh Liag Distillers and The Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey, some of the topics we discuss include:
As you sink into this conversation filled with charming Irish legends and breathtaking landscapes, we’d encourage you to pay attention to the ways in which James and his team are trying to advance the conversation about what Irish whiskey is and could be, and how they’re grounding that mission in a place they truly love. That’s a sense of place that’s greater than the climate and weather conditions we generally consider when we think about terroir. And that’s precisely the kind of thoughtful, integrated approach you’d expect from a brand that makes delicious, exciting whiskeys.
This episode’s featured cocktail is The Silkie Special. To make it, you’ll need:
This is a “built” drink, so to make it, simply pour your whiskey dram into a chilled highball glass with plenty of ice, top up with the cola, garnish with a citrus twist, and maybe even a little squeeze of lemon, then give the glass a gentle stir, and enjoy.
On the face of it, the Silkie Special is simply a Cuba Libre made with a very specific Irish whiskey. But we happen to think there’s a bit more to this drink than meets the eye.
Take, for example, the decision to use “Football Special” as the Cola of choice. It’s called this because it’s made for kids to drink after their football matches when they go out to celebrate – allowing them a sort of non-alcoholic pub culture that mirrors the experience of the pints they see the adults in their lives enjoying. So in addition to the textural uniqueness of the soda, it also evokes a sense of home and memories of childhood friends for those who grew up in and around Donegal. This sense of home is something that we focus on quite a bit in this conversation.
Another thing to note about the Silkie Special is that it takes a very deliberate stance on how one is supposed to enjoy this whiskey. In the world of single malts and premium grain whiskeys, much is made about the question of ice, or water, which glass to use, and what premium cigar to light when enjoying a dram. But the Silkie Special cocktail suggests that maybe that’s not the point of the Legendary Silkie. The point, it seems, is to enjoy it however you like – even (or perhaps especially) if that happens to be mixing it with the cola you enjoyed as a kid.
This episode was made possible with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed and Irish whiskey insights courtesy of James Doherty of Sliabh Liag Distilling. Special thanks to Preiss Imports for making the interview possible. This has been a Modern Bar Cart production, copyright 2022.
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