Ireland’s top ten drinks of choice
For centuries, Ireland has produced world-renowned beverages, which are distributed throughout the world. A nation famous for Guinness, obsessive tea drinkers and some of the best whiskey on the planet, Ireland’s indigenous beverages offer a varied selection for any drinker.
There is no escaping the impact beverages such as Guinness and Baileys have had on the global market. It is rare to travel any to any location in the world and not be greeted by the familiar sight of an Irish drink. We have even included some of our childhood favorites that we all love to crave!
Read more: Top ten facts about Guinness
1. Guinness
Like silk being poured into a glass. The Guinness brand is synonymous with Ireland. In 1759, Arthur Guinness acquired a four acre site and signed a 9,000-year lease for the St. James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin. The brewery became well known for brewing “porter,” which was a dark ale. Over the past 250 years, the dark ale has evolved in to an unique dark stout, which is enjoyed across the globe. According to the company, over 10 million glasses of Guinness are enjoyed daily around the world.
2. Irish Whiskey
Ireland is home to several distilleries, which produce some of the world’s finest whiskeys. Uisce Beatha is the Gaelic term for whiskey and translates to “water of life”. The most common types of whiskey distilled in Ireland include single malt, single grain and blended whiskey. Examples of Irish whiskey include Black Bush, Bushmills, Jameson, Paddy, Powers, and Tullamore Dew to name a few.
3. Tea
Earl, chamomile, green, chai — offer any of these varieties to your average Irish person and they will most likely decline. If it’s not black and doesn’t contain either sugar or milk, then it’s not a cup of Irish tea. Most Irish people begin their day with a cup of tea and continue to drink copious amounts of their favorite hot beverage throughout the day. Irish tea is a strong blend of several black teas, mostly Assam Indian teas. There are several Irish companies that produce tea, but Barry’s and Lyons are the market leaders and are the cause of rivalry between friends and family!
4. Irish Coffee
An Irish coffee is a coffee with a kick! This popular after-dinner drink combines coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and freshly whipped cream. Here is our guide on how to make the perfect Irish Coffee
Ingredients
Half a cup of good quality coffee
1 measure of Irish whiskey
2 spoonfuls of brown sugar
20ml of fresh pouring cream
Method
Put a tea spoon into the glass (best to use a glass with a stem) and pour some boiling water into the glass to warn it up. (the reason you put in the spoon is so that the spoon takes the heat from the water and so the glass will not crack, but be careful!).
Pour the shot of whiskey into the glass.
Pour in the coffee up to within 15mm (1.5cm) from the top.
Put in the two spoons of sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. You will see if the sugar has dissolved by looking at the base of the glass (the sugar ensures that the cream will float).
Place the spoon on to the rim of coffee, face up (ensure that the curved part of the spoon is touching the coffee, touching…not submerged). With the cream in a small jug, pour it onto the spoon. The cream will flow over the edge of the spoon and rest on top of the coffee.
What you should be left with is a glass of black coffee (not cloudy and with no trace of cream) with a white collar about 10mm (1cm) deep.
5. Miwadi
Miwadi takes its name from Mineral Water distributors, who invented the dilutable fruit drink in Dublin in 1927. During the war, the drink was sold in chemists as it was a fruit cordial and was often given to people when they were sick. The growth in supermarkets in the 1970’s made the drink more accessible to consumers. It was bottled in glass up until the 1980s, when plastic became more common. Ireland’s number one cordial has a range of flavors including Orange, blackcurrant, lemon, lime, and tropical, which are all produced in Dublin. A popular hangover cure, customers will often ask for a pint of Miwadi in bars.
6. Bulmers Cider
Bulmers original Irish Cider is made in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Cider production in the town began when local man William Magner founded the company in 1935. It is more commonly known abroad as Magners Irish Cider. Their tradition of brewing cider has been developed over the past seven decades and continues to be a popular refreshing cider enjoyed around the world. A total of 17 different types of apples are grown in Bulmer’s orchards in Clonmel, Ireland. The refreshing alcoholic cider beverage is most commonly enjoyed over ice.
7. TK Red Lemonade
No childhood occasion was every complete without a giant tumbler of red lemonade. TK Red Lemonade remains the brand leader in Ireland. Originally Taylor Keith, it continues to be Ireland’s leading value soft drink brand and is distributed by C&C beverages. Many people like to mix the popular beverage with their favorite Irish whiskey.
8. Baileys Irish cream
R & A Bailey were responsible for inventing the recipe for the Irish liqueur cream that would take the world by storm. In 1974, they combined the Irish tradition of distilling whiskey with another great tradition of dairy farming. Baileys only uses cream from Irish cows in their product. They recipe, which included cocoa nibs, vanilla pods, caramel and sugar combined with whiskey and cream results in Baileys Irish Cream that’s enjoyed the world over.
Baileys Irish Cheesecake recipe
100g / 3½oz unsalted butter
250g / 8¾oz biscuits such as Digestives, Hobnobs, Oaties. Crushed.
450g / 1lb Cream cheese such as Philadelphia
1 slug of Baileys Irish cream
100ml / 3½oz icing sugar
200ml / 10½oz double cream
60g / 2oz chocolate
Method:
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the crushed biscuits and mix until the butter has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and, while still warm, press the mixture (using the back of a spoon) into the bottom of a lined 23cm/9inch springform or flan tin. Leave to set for one hour in the fridge.
While it is chilling, grate the chocolate. Set aside in the fridge if your kitchen is warm.
In a bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is soft. Beat in the icing sugar and a shot of Baileys. Fold in the whipped cream and three-quarters of the chocolate. When the mixture is smooth, smooth it evenly onto the biscuit base.
Refrigerate and allow to set for at least two hours. If you can bear to leave it overnight, so much the better.
To serve, remove from the tin and decorate. You can either sprinkle the remaining grated chocolate over the top for a simple finish, or add some individual chocolates and flakes for a more elegant and ceremonial dressing.
9. Club Rock Shandy
The original Club Orange was the first orange soft drink to come on the market in Ireland. Oliver Grace was the man behind juicy beverage. In 1950, Club Lemon was launched as sister product. Some time later, a director of the C&C drinks group would discovered a new drink by accident: Frank Murphy from Blackrock in Co. Dublin enjoyed mixing the Club Orange and Club Lemon, resulting in a refreshing drink which would become known as Club Rock Shandy.
10. Poitín
This lethal concoction is usually made from remnants of barely or potatoes. Also known as Moonshine, the distillation of the spirit has been banned in Ireland since 1661 because of its high potency. Despite this, many people continue to distill the beverage for personal consumption. Some Irish companies, such as Bunratty Irish Potcheen, distill a beverage which is significantly weaker than the traditional tipple.
Resource: IrishCentral