“I’ve been waiting for the decline but it hasn’t happened yet,” says Andy Ferreira on the popularity of gin cocktails, which shows no sign of abating. “The Irish still love their juniper-led cocktails.”
In recent years, customers are calling for their favourite Irish gin by name, “or lots will ask for recommendations for a gin and tonic, and are open to trying something new”. Gin and elderflower tonic is popular with younger drinkers who have yet to acquire a taste for the bitter notes of quinine. “This simple serve has introduced a whole new demographic to the gin and tonic.”
Beyond the G&T, Andy and his award-winning team at Cask in Cork get lots of requests for variations on the classic gin, lemon and sugar flavour pairing. The French 75 is a smart mix of lemon juice, sugar syrup and gin served in a champagne flute and topped up with bubbles, while the Tom Collins is “a lovely long, refreshing highball that makes a great base for seasonal variations” like elderflower in summer or apple in autumn. Then there are the more bartender-driven drinks that might be recommended to fans of the Martini, Negroni or Aviation. “The Last Word is a great example of that, featuring equal parts Maraschino liqueur, Chartreuse, gin and lime juice.”
Mixologists love to offer their customers new experiences, and Andy says gin is a great category to give the customer a novel option. “We’ll always know that our gin cocktail will sell well from our seasonal menu, which changes four times a year, so we can go a little left of centre with it.”
Sometimes, however, simplicity is key – as with the Gimlet, which started life as the simplest two-ingredient serve of gin and lime cordial but for which a world of versatile variations exists. Cask’s Raspberry and Nettle Gimlet (see recipe below) is a great option for a simple serve that is “small and punchy without being a Martini” and which delivers fruity herbal flavours that work well as an aperitif or as a batch-style serve for any time of day or night. Crucially, it works brilliantly with the new wave of Irish gins, many of which are London Dry styles given a local twist with Irish botanicals for herbal and floral complexity.
The classic Gimlet is an old-school recipe with calls for gin and lime cordial, originally Rose’s lime cordial in a 50:50 ratio. As the drink evolved over time, the levels of cordial reduced as we all became more sugar-conscious and gin was often switched out for vodka. Other elements could be added too but the simplicity of the drink is its brilliance.
At Cask, they take inspiration from what grows and is produced locally for their seasonally changing menus. They rarely use citrus but instead find alternative ways to balance their drinks – in this case, using a raspberry wine made in Wicklow to bring acidity to a cordial made from wild Irish nettles.
You could experiment with your own Gimlet variation, using shop-bought products such as Richmount elderflower cordial from Longford, Dacha rhubarb syrup from Cavan, Wild About raspberry syrup from Wexford or Wild Irish Foragers gorseflower syrup from Offaly. Or make your own cordial with two-parts water to one-part sugar infused with anything from lime and basil to fresh blackberries in season. When mixing up your Gimlet, simply aim for a balance of sweet and sour flavours – and a healthy serve of gin for good measure.
RECIPE
Raspberry and Nettle Gimlet
50ml Irish gin of choice (we use Dingle Gin)
20ml Móinéir Irish Raspberry Wine
25ml nettle cordial, homemade or shop-bought
For a single gimlet, simply combine the gin, raspberry wine and cordial in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice, shake well and double strain into a coupe or any dainty glass – or a tumbler if you prefer your drinks on the rocks. Alternatively, we strongly recommend making a batch of the cocktail ahead of a garden gathering or lazy weekend, and simply refrigerating for ease of pour.
For homemade nettle cordial
500g nettle heads
500ml boiling water
350g caster sugar
3g citric acid (available in chemists and health food stores, or use 10ml lime juice)
To make the nettle cordial, cover the nettle heads with the boiling water, stir in caster sugar to dissolve and steep for one hour. Add citric acid or lime juice to make it a little tart. Strain, bottle and refrigerate until ready to use. Add one-part water to four-parts cordial before using in the Gimlet recipe. (If fresh nettles aren’t available, you can make the cordial with a strong nettle tea instead.)
This Raspberry and Nettle Gimlet is one of a range of bottled "Casktails" cocktails available from caskcork.com (€22 for 350ml, €44 for 750ml plus €7 delivery within Ireland).
