My Riff on an Irish Cocktail

This is my riff on  The Giants' Gate Cocktail created by a renowned mixology expert and bartender, Max La Rocca. I made it last week when The Sisters of Mercy (Angela, Stacia & I) were cooking for cohousing. Call this version The Idiots Guide to the Giant’s Gate Cocktail.

To show that I favour neither south nor north, I have included both whiskies as options. Sabrina, Andreas & I did the required research to determine that both were excellent.

Bushmills is a distillery in the north, and Guinness is a brewery in the south, but both are currently owned by the same company: Diageo , and both feature in this cocktail that debuted in 2010. The initial idea was to celebrate the 250 years of Guinness Brewery and the 400 years of Bushmills Distillery.Politics may divide, but perhaps a cocktail can unite. 

Max has more creations at: Listen to the Ice. As he says: Dream, Breathe, and Go Slow.

I have done the North American math for you, and have also adapted the quantities a bit to suit the particularities of my palate. You might like Max's version best. After all, he is the expert. Try both.

3X	2X	1X	Ingredients	To do
			Irish whiskey-soaked raisins for garnish	Soak the night before, and have on hand for other uses – great in Xmas tarts. Make more than you think you will need. They seem to evaporate. They don’t go bad.
3	2	1	Chilled martini glasses
1 oz	1 oz	1 oz	Guinness Stout	Rinse the glasses with the stout. Now, this presents a dilemma. What to do with the other 13 oz? Not a problem. A sensible person knows what to do. Kilkenny also works well.
5-6	5-6	5-6	cardamom pods	Crush them and toss into the cocktail shaker.
1 ½ oz	1 oz	1/2 oz	Freshly squeezed lime juice	Cover the cardamom pods with the lime juice, and muddle them. I use the end of a wooden spoon, not having a real muddler.
4-6	4-6	4-6	Ice cubes	Add enough to fill about half of the cocktail shaker.
4 ½ oz	3 oz	1 1/2 oz	Bushmills 16 Year Old Irish Whiskey	Add. The quality of the whiskey is what matters most. It may be heresy, and does wreck the theory behind the drink, but Jameson Select Reserve is a worthy substitute if it is what you have on hand (and you should). Black Bush is good too. We have tried all variations.
1 oz	½ oz	1/3 oz	simple syrup (1:1)	Add. I use less than what Max suggests, but I prefer a slightly tarter finish. I add more to my husband’s drink.
				Shake it up baby!
1 ½ oz	1 oz	½ oz	egg white	The finishing touch. Max La Rocca suggests a little combination of citrus juice and egg white in order to achieve a beautiful silky froth on top that will remind the drinker of the nice beer head one gets from a refreshing pint of Guinness. I don’t get that fancy. I just whip the egg whites with a milk frother, and either drizzle it on top, or even just add it to the cocktail shaker for one last shake before pouring.
				Garnish with the raisins.