Ireland

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Whiskey A Go-Go

January 18, 2012 in Cocktails, events by traveleatlove | 12 comments

A bitterly cold Sunday night of a long weekend made for the perfect setting for a whiskey/whisky tasting at The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill this past weekend. While most wine stores close up shop at 6:00 on Sundays, The Urban Grape sometimes closes and then reopens to host special pop up events, complete with great food and drinks and a nice bit of education on the beverage of the day. Normally I am too lazy to go out on a Sunday night, but, long weekend or not, I find it a great way to help stave off the Monday blues until Monday actually arrives.

Whisk(e)y A Go-Go featured whiskey expert Matt Chivian talking about nine different whiskeys that hailed from the US, Ireland, or Scotland. Food pairings were made by The Gallows, and they were not just great with the whiskey, but they were winter comfort food at its finest.

Here’s the lineup:

American Whiskey by Michter’s American Whiskey Co.

“Single Barrel” Straight Rye Whiskey (Kentucky) paired with Deviled Eggs w/House Smoked Fish

“Unblended” American Whiskey (Kentucky) paired with Apple and Cured Ham Mince Meat Pie

“Small Batch” Bourbon Whiskey (Kentucky) paired with Pulled Pork Sliders

Irish Whiskey bottled by Cooley Distillery

Slane Castle “Premium Blended” Whiskey (Ireland), paired with GreatHill Blue Cheese, Honey, Citrus on Brioche

Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail

Benromach Distillery 10 year (Speyside)

Ledaig Distillery 16 year (Isle of Mill)

Pulteny Distillery “Old Pulteny” 21 year (Highland)

Glenrothes Distillery 30 year (Speyside)

The above were paired with The Gallows’ Scotch and Barley Soup with Oxtail, while the below was a slightly sweet, slightly gingery dessert all on its own.

Dunkeld Atholl Brose Scotch Whisky Liqueur

As you can see, the tasting lineup was pretty spectacular, and it featured some really tasty, well-balanced choices. My personal favorites were the Slane Castle Whiskey, which is smooth and light, perfect for blending in cocktails as a rum substitute, the Benromach 10 year because of the earthy turf undertones that reminded me of a rainy Irish day, a hot whiskey, and a fireplace, and the Glenrothes Distillery 30 year because of it’s toasty, slightly sweet notes and lovely smoothness.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday evening with friends; I even got to catch up with blogger buddies from Beantown Eats! The Urban Grape does a fantastic job with every detail of their events, from choosing great businesses to partner with for delicious food pairings, to important details like offering a coat rack for guests. The tickets for the whiskey pop up event were $15 each which, considering how much whiskey and food was available, is pretty amazing. Their events sell out fast, so keep an eye out!

Are you a whiskey/whisky fan? If not, what other spirits do you like for wintry cocktails?

Speaking of cocktails, I am finally checking out The Hawthorne tonight. Any suggestions on what to order?

Technorati Tags: Boston, cocktails, events, Ireland, Scotland, Urban Grape, whiskey, whisky

Tags: Boston, cocktails, events, Ireland, Scotland, Urban Grape, whiskey, whisky

Colorful Ireland

January 10, 2012 in Travel by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Happy Travel Tuesday! This is the last of my Ireland posts; as always I love sharing our experiences in Ireland, I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them (and experiencing them!) .

Because of its climate, Ireland can be an absolutely miserable place. While I tend to love this part of it (except when it rains for almost 10 straight days on my vacation), dreary gray days, fog, a constant drizzle, and whipping winds can pretty quickly bring anyone down. Luckily, the Irish are good at festive building colors, signage, and other lovely little details that brighten the streets and make it easy to spot a business from far away.

{The Quays Pub}

{Claddagh ring shop – The Claddagh ring originates in a tiny Galway village of the same name.}

{Teac Tabairne – a bar or tavern}

{Griffin’s of Shop Street}

{Tigh Neachtain’s – basically O’Neachtain’s house, a fabulous bar}

{Kirwan’s Lane in the heart of medieval Galway , a city once enclosed by thick stone walls, some of which can still be seen}

{Tigh Coili – another pub, one across the street from my old apartment in Galway}

And for your listening pleasure, here’s a little glimpse into what we did most nights in Galway:

http://youtu.be/3vmA6I2ec3s

{The Spanish Arch Hotel – a fantastic place for live music}

There’s another video on my YouTube channel that is a pretty awesome depiction of how a night in Galway goes; great street performer meets rowdy, excited crowds, and a sing-along ensues. I didn’t post it directly here because one of those crowd members decided to yell a profanity at the camera, and I didn’t want to offend anyone’s fragile ears. Winking smile Otherwise, it’s just a fun video of people singing. If you have headphones or are at home, it’s an entertaining two minutes.

I have major travel fever right now and want to get started planning another trip. My wanderlust includes Napa and Sonoma (of course), Italy, Croatia, and any place where I can lay on a lounge chair where it is over 80 degrees and sunny!

Technorati Tags: Galway, Ireland, photography, Travel

Tags: Galway, Ireland, photography, Travel

A Visit to Westport

December 21, 2011 in Food, Travel by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Westport, Ireland, that is. When we are staying with our family in Galway, visiting Westport is one of my favorite day or overnight trips. Just about an hour away, Westport, home to the pub owned by Matt Molloy of The Chieftain’s fame, is a great place for traditional Irish music as well as a fun place for eating and going out on the town.

On yet another rainy, dark day, we left Galway for Westport, hoping for a change of scenery and maybe some better weather? We got the former at least. . .

Signposts like these can be found all over Ireland. It’s a well-marked country, and with a pretty simple road system, it’s easy to get places. Example, the Dublin Road. . . guess where it goes?

Our drive to Westport included a stop at Ross Errilly Friary, a structure said to be built around the year 1460. In the 1600’s Ross Errilly’s 140 Catholic monks fled just before Cromwellian forces arrived, ransacked the property, and even defiled graves.

Throughout the years, there was a coming and going of clergy, and one thing is clear: this place has not been inhabited in quite some time!

The wind through the bare windows made a loud howling noise that actually had me running away from the friary while my husband explored. I wasn’t afraid of ghosts but more the fact that the structure, so old, could deposit a stone on my head at any moment. Upon leaving the friary, I received a tweet from my brother-in-law’s friend that they used to visit the friary in the middle of the night when they were younger. A dark, windy day was scary enough for me, thank you very much!

After our stop at Ross Errilly, we headed straight for Westport. This girl needs to be fed pretty often, and I was hungry!

After a quick walk around Westport town, we made our way to the waterfront where we found Fishworks Café. Two pints of Guinness quenched our thirst.

And I satisfied my need for local seafood with some mussels in a cream sauce with lots of veggies in it. A few slices of brown bread for dunking, and I was all set, gobbling up this bowl fairly easily. I love mussels, but I feel like they never really fill me up!

We decided to take the coastal road home, through the mountains of Connemara, which ended up not being the best move! There are no street lights, very few houses, and lots of sheep in the narrow, winding roads. The wind whipped the car around the whole way home. It was scary, but it was so very quintessential rugged West of Ireland that it was kind of worth it. At least for the passenger.

I am gearing up for a flight home tomorrow. I am not taking any time off for Christmas or New Year’s, but I am lucky that I can work from NJ and hang out with my family when things slow down a bit.

Do you have any travel plans for the holiday season?

Technorati Tags: Food, Guinness, Ireland, mussels, Travel, Westport