Sunset Cocktail: The Irish Cocktail on St. Patrick’s Day

2 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/4 oz Butterfly Boston Absinthe
1/4 oz Cointreau
1 bsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Hella Bitters Aromatic

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled Sherry glass. Garnish with a flamed Lemon twist and a Green Olive (or not).

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, when Catholics celebrate his act of driving out the serpents of Ireland and the Pagans revile in the fact that those serpents were a metaphor for the pre-Christian culture that has now been lost by conversion despite some claims of an unbroken connection to the Old Ways. Put down your shitty green beers and lift up some Irish Whiskey, ‘cuz in ‘Murica (especially around Boston), “Everybody’s Fahkin’ Irish on St. Paddy’s day, Kid!”

I think this drink is officially supposed to be made with Triple Sec which I didn’t have on hand so I used Cointreau. I left off the olive as I didn’t have any of those as well, nor do I like them very much. Lastly, what better Absinthe to use than one of my favorites in Butterfly Absinthe, which is a modern rendition of a classic pre-prohibition absinthe produced in Boston in the early 1900s, made by the good folks at Distillery Artémisia-Bugnon in the Val de Travers area of Switzerland…  where I must go to visit someday.

If you do supplement your St. Patrick’s Day Whiskey with some beer, make sure it’s good and poured well, especially if it’s a Guinness.