irish wolfhound

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey (Knappogue Castle 1995)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3 drop Rosewater (Mustapha's)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a candied grapefruit peel (omitted; I garnished with an additional drop of rosewater).

Last Thursday was St. Patrick's Day, and instead of joining the throngs of people to celebrate, I stayed in and fixed an Irish whiskey cocktail I had been eying for a while. The drink was the Irish Wolfhound that was created by Josey Packard and later published in LUPEC Boston's Little Black Book of Cocktails. With the combination of grapefruit juice and Maraschino liqueur, like in the Weekly Special and Seventh Heaven, I knew that drink could not fail.
The rosewater paid off in the nose where it joined the grapefruit and Irish whiskey aromas. While the sip was a slightly tart grapefruit flavor, the swallow was rather gentle with a light Irish whiskey taste accented by hints of Maraschino. Of all the combinations, I was surprised at how complementary of flavors the grapefruit juice and Irish whiskey were. Moreover, I was impressed at how mellow and smooth the Irish Wolfhound was especially for a whiskey drink.