I (Pam) was lucky enough to be whisked off to the Emerald Isle to spend a few days with Jameson Whiskey at their distillery in Cork.

Baby's first press tour!

The famous whiskey has teamed up with Aisling Bea for their recent campaign 'Widen The Circle'. This is all about reconnecting with people you meet, letting those sparks create joy and maybe new friendships, over a Jameson of course!

This rings true with Dram Fine Podcast too! For one, that's how we met! But to dig a little deeper, we love the suggestion that you invite more people to the table to make connection, yes... But also, maybe that person was really hoping for an invitation and needed the welcoming vibes. And that's exactly what we are trying to create.

Anyway, back to Ireland. I was invited to a behind the scenes tour of Jameson Midleton distillery in Cork, where I met Aisling Bea the comedian, actor, and now Jameson Brand Ambassador! We made her birthday cocktail (recipe below) which dyed my fingers green but it was worth it! The round table discussion with her was wonderful and I asked her how she introduces newbies to whiskey, to which she responded, 'drink what you like!' haha and it's a totally fair point.

The whole tour was incredible, from the deconstructed tasting of the 18 year old, Blender Deirdre O'Carroll's visit to the Maturation Hall where we sampled the Black Barrel, well, right out the barrel! Whisky Academy for serious learning and not so serious, but very fun cocktail making class! The best was without a doubt the Cooperage. From the minute I saw the itinerary I was excited! Master Cooper, Ger Buckley, is a 5th generation Cooper. How crazy is that?

His tools have dents made by his Great Grandfather - how crazy is that? He had so many stories to tell and we hung on his every word! An incredible time... I need to go back with Chelsey but for now I'll just make her the cocktail :)

Jameson Whiskey Sour

50ml Jameson Irish Whiskey

25ml lemon juice

15ml orange and vanilla honey syrup

10ml triple sec

25ml egg whites or a few drops of Ms Better Bitters, Miraculous Foamer

1 pinch spirulina powder ( used for the green colour only)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters

Add all ingredients into a shaker, dry shake! Add ice, shake again. Strain into a glass and garnish with orange peel.

The orange peel, white foam and green drink is meant to represent the Irish flag. Mine defo didn't quite look as good as Aisling's or Craft Cocktail ambassador Keiran Keane's but it was tasty as! Give it a go!