Classic Cocktail of The Month: Tipperary Cocktail

It's Saint Patrick's Day, that means two things for certain: drinking copious amount of Guinness, and a nuesiatiang amount of "Kiss me, I'm Irish" t-shirts.  Unfortunately, like most holidays, St. Patrick's Day is nothing more than reason to get black-out drunk.  If you haven't noticed yet, my stance on drinking is always quality over quantity, so I will be staying as far away from the Guinness, Bailey's, and creme de menthe this March 17th.  Instead, I'll be enjoying an Irish whiskey cocktail that is nearly 100 years old.

This month's Classic cocktail of the month is another classic from The Savoy Cocktail book.  The Tipperaray Cocktail is an Irish cocktail free of an creme de menthe, Bailey's or Guinness; the perfect candidate for a Saint Patrick's Day cocktail that can also be enjoyed any other day of the year.

The recipe from the Savoy calls for equal parts Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth, and green chartreuse.  Like most other bartenders, I'll agree that adjusting the proportions does result in a more balanced cocktail.  Feel free to change the proportions to your liking, but this is the recipe I prefer.

Tipperaray Cocktail
- 1.5 oz Irish Whiskey
- 0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with an orange zest

Tipperaray Cocktail

If the Tipperaray Cocktail is a twist on the Manhattan, then this month's variation is a twist of the Martini.


Dublin Dreaming
- 1.5 oz Irish Whiskey
- 0.75 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.25 oz Yellow Chartreuse

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass

- Add ice and stir

- Strain into chilled cocktail glass

- Garnish with a lemon twist

Dublin Dreaming