Traditional Irish Drinks

The pub is very much a part of Irish society. Like most other societies around the world, the pub is where we meet friends, hear the local news, relax after a day´s work, have the craic after a sporting event or just a place to relax and unwind. These functions are probably more important in the west of Ireland as homesteads are often remote and isolated and going to the pub, especially during a time of local festivals or fairs, is something to look forward to - a welcome break that makes life worthwhile.

A group of farmers or fishermen having a few pints may pass as an event of no importance. In fact, quite apart from the social aspect, these encounters fulfil a very worthwhile economic purpose. This is the last stop for news from Brussels, Dublin and the local town. Here the working man can get news of cattle prices, the fall out from mad cow disease, foreign trawlers in Irish waters, depleting salmon stocks, and of course included in every conversation in Ireland - the weather prospects.

The pubs of course are also great places to hear stories and yarns. No doubt you will hear plenty yourself when you visit ´the local´. To wet your appetite (or thirst) there is an amusing story that was heard lately concerning a man in the Connemara area. Seemingly this local man arrived into a pub early one morning suffering from a severe hangover and in dire need of a ´cure´. He called for a ´small one and a medium´ (a small whiskey and a half pint of stout). The barman promptly obliged and put the drinks on the counter. As the man made his way to the bar he disturbed a sheep dog that had been asleep under a stool. The dog sprang to life and growled. The man cupped the whiskey glass in his hands and despite a severe shake and the growling dog, he attempted to steady himself to get the glass to his mouth. As the dog growled more fiercely the man´s shake worsened. After yet another unsuccessful attempt to down the drink he finally lost all patience and turned and shouted at the dog... "D´anam an diabhal Shep you can bite me but for pity sake don´t bark"!

Heartwarming juice of the barley

Whiskey - derived from Uisce Beatha, which means the water of life - was invented in Ireland over 1,000 years ago. The ingredients for the magic potion are simple: barley, malt, grain, water and yeast. The difference is in the hands of the magicians and their traditional alchemy. In 1,000 years they have learned that what counts is the distilling! Blending, yes, if you like blended whiskey; but first and most important is the distillation itself. Check out Midleton Very Rare, or 12-year-old Jameson 1780. Or you may find heaven on earth among the varied delights of Paddy, Black Bush, John Power´s, Jameson, Old Bushmills, perhaps even Bushmills Single Malt whiskey.

Poteen

The word is nearly as heady and potent as the stuff itself; conjuring images of mysterious wisps of smoke high in deserted mountain valleys; strange nocturnal activities; exploding haystacks; miraculous cures of man and beast; bottles with no labels exchanged at quiet cross-roads; a man who knows a man who might be able to ´fix you up with a drop´; the bad stuff which tastes like poison and is; the good stuff which slips down like strangely smooth liquid fire; the morning after of the living dead; the police raids; the barrels and coils seized and destroyed by the forces of the law - ´a sin against man and God´. Is it still made in Kerry? Do they really use potatoes? Sure how would I know! ... but I know a man ...

Viking´s Brew

A strange legend has been told in Kerry for many centuries, it was recorded in Killarney almost 200 years ago and on the Blasket Islands in this century. The tale recounts that the Vikings when they possessed this country used to make a most excellent kind of beer from the common heath or heather which grows abundantly on the mountains. The people of Kerry were so fond of this brew that when the Danes eventually took to their boats to return to their own country, two of them were captured in order to compel them to teach the manner of brewing it.. The two thus retained were a father and son who were tempted with large promises and threatened with torture for the purpose, but the former is said to have killed the later and then killed himself to prevent the valuable secret from being known to the Irish, who still lament their ignorance of this favourite beverage of their ancestors.

The Story of Stout

The most popular drink in Ireland is without doubt the black velvet stout, better known as Guinness or Murphy´s. Walk into any pub in Ireland and you will notice the majority of customers are drinking the roasted barley brew that has almost become an icon for the country. Can so many people be wrong about this strange looking drink? Why not find out for yourself, even if it is only to see the ritual of pulling ´the perfect pint´.

In some countries the pint is filled by an automatic dispenser. At the press of a button the exact measure ´blobs´ into the waiting glass. A barman that would chance such a practice in Ireland would need a good pair of runners and an even better life insurance policy. No! Here pulling the ´perfect pint´ is an art. The glass is tilted as the first rush of stout appears, brown in colour. When the glass fills near the three quarter mark, the bar person begins to straighten the glass and ease back the tap to slow the flow to a stop. The pint is then allowed to settle. Watch closely as the rich liquid swirls and dances in the glass, changing colour and shapes and magically, before your very eyes, the creamy white head comes to the surface as the pint darkens to a black velvet. At this stage the bar person returns to what usually is a row of pints and with a trained eye can see which ones are ready to be crowned. This time the nozzle of the tap is carefully placed through the surface of the pint and the final injection brings the creamy white head up to the rim of the glass.

Watching this magicians brew will probably leave you in a complete trance, with a glazed look in your eyes and your tongue almost touching the bar counter, - but like your first kiss - you will never forget your first glass of stout. The smooth creamy liquid with its rich taste fills you with a warm glow from head to toe. And as you put down the glass on the counter you will suddenly become aware once more of the musicians in the corner and the blurred vision has suddenly gone. You will think to yourself "Wow!, no wonder the Irish are always smiling!"

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