The Emerald Isle Cocktail blends herbal and citrus notes with a touch of mint for an unusual flavor combination. What brings it all together is three dashes of Angostura bitters.
The gin is very dominant in this cocktail. The recipe only calls for a teaspoon of crème de menthe, so you really can’t identify the mint flavor on its own. I would say that you probably need to like gin if you’re going to enjoy this drink, and it’s worth using a good one. Bombay Sapphire works particularly well in this drink. The Angostura bitters actually help to bring out the sweetness of the crème de menthe by providing a contrasting bitter spicy flavor.
This drink is pretty similar to the Fallen Angel, which blends gin and a little bit of crème de menthe with lime and Angostura bitters. And it’s also not a million miles away from the Green Dragon, which adds Kummel to the mix. Both of those are fairly strong drinks, and this one is actually all alcohol. That’s why you could actually look at it as a type of martini.
This drink pairs very nicely with a recipe that uses mint as a seasoning. Try it with this recipe for Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork (Lechon Asado) from The Food Charlatan, or this Pomegranate and Mint Lamb Chops recipe from Mom.me.
The savory, spicy marinade from the Cuban Mojo recipe works very well to bring out not only the mint in the drink but also the herbal notes from the gin. And the sweetness and lamb chops recipe contrasts wonderfully with the whole cocktail.
Emerald Isle Cocktail Recipe
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 teaspoon green creme de menthe
- 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Put all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill, and strain the mixture into a cocktail glass.
