If there is anything you could say about the region this winter, it’s that we’ve had a lot of whiskey-drinking weather. Multiple heavy snowfalls and long, stir-crazy days resulted in many people exploring their neighborhoods on foot, and there are plenty of Irish bars around town to be discovered. Or at least bars with Irish whiskey. Some are chains – McFadden’s, Ri-Ra and Fado – with local flair, while others are independent but located so closely together you could stage a mini bar crawl any night of the week. Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, for example, has four Irish bars along a one-mile stretch of road.
Though the spirits share the same name, whiskies vary widely depending on where they are produced. Irish whiskey is distilled in Ireland (shock!), made from barley, malt and water and usually triple distilled – compared with its American and Scottish cousins, which are distilled twice. The Irish process leads to a smoother sipper, less peaty than Scotch (due to the lack of peat as part of the grain-to-spirits process) and not as sweet as most bourbons. And while Scotland has nearly 100 distilleries, Ireland has just four: Cooley, Old Bushmill’s — the oldest, having received its license from King James I in 1608 — New Midleton and Kilbeggan. Each one, except for Kilbeggan, produces numerous brands, the most prolific of which is Midleton which produces Jameson, Powers and Redbreast in addition to its namesake.
March may be the best time of the year to drink Irish whiskey. After all, nothing goes better with a Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day than a chaser of Bushmills—or if mixed with Bailey’s—an Irish Car Bomb. Though when ordering one of these, consider your choice of words wisely. Some experts recommend asking for a “lunch box” if you get the craving for the combo in an older Irish pub. Better yet, order both drinks individually, drop the shot (and cream liqueur, if you please) in the beer and chug away.
“A shot of whiskey will go with anything,” said Matt “Jumbo” Elliott, a bartender/server at the Dubliner in D.C. Elliott says Jameson, the best selling Irish whiskey in the world, and Bushmills dominate most of the Irish whiskey orders he fields, but he’s happy to help new drinkers explore other possibilities on the menu. For drinkers looking for something different, he will suggest Midleton Very Rare, which is a blend, or (John) Powers Gold Label, which is one of the bes- selling brands in Ireland and has both spicy and sweet characteristics.
The chefs at Ireland’s Four Provinces in Falls Church have integrated several kinds of whiskey into their dining menu. Whiskey Chicken Tullamore features a cream sauce made with Tullamore Dew—a blend—and the Munster Flank Steak is topped with a portabella mushroom sauce made with Powers Gold. And if the food doesn’t get you buzzed, the bar offers all kinds of Irish whiskies from Redbreast 12-year to Irish Mist, a whiskey liqueur blended with honey, herbs and other spirits.
“I’m surprised at how much Midleton Very Rare we sell,” said Travis Barnes, a manager/bartender at Four Provinces. At $28.50 a glass, so am I, but the blend is so outstanding it’s hard not to fall under the luxurious spell in a glass. But for new drinkers, Barnes says he normally suggests Redbreast or Michael Collins, a glowing single malt. “I don’t want to press someone who doesn’t know what they want to order a $30 glass of whiskey,” Barnes said. But I’ll wager that they wouldn’t hold it against him.
The saddest thing I heard during the Snowpocalypse was at the snow bar erected in front of Bar Dupont in Dupont Circle. Just as I stepped up to order a Jameson and hot chocolate, they ran out of whiskey.
Shocked, I opted for liqueur, but Kahlua just wasn’t the same. And I got a real kick in the ski pants a few minutes later when, hot chocolate and coffee liqueur already half gone, I saw one of the bartenders crack a fresh bottle and announce — “We’re back in the whiskey business.” But I was warmed with the knowledge that if they ran out so fast, it must be a delicious thing to try during the next storm. After all, that groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter, right?
Ireland’s Four Provinces: 105 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA; 703-534-8999; http://www.4psva.com
Ri-Ra Irish Pub: Arlington: 2915 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA; 703-248-9888; Bethesda: 4931 Elm St., Bethesda, MD; 301-657-1122; http://www.rira.com
Ireland’s Four Fields (formerly known as Ireland’s Four Provinces: 3412 Connecticut Ave NW, DC; (202) 244-0860; http://www.irelandsfourprovinces.com
The Dubliner: 520 N. Capitol St., NW, DC; 202-737-377; www.dublinerdc.com/
Several specialty shops and most liquor stores in the area sell Irish whiskey, including: Calvert Woodley: 4339 Connecticut Ave., NW, DC; 202-966-4400; MacArthur Beverage: 4877 MacArthur Blvd., NW, DC; 202-338-1433; The Wine Specialist: 2115 M St., NW, DC; 202-833-0707.
