Roe's Bouquet

Cocktail blogging is not all toil and sweat. Sometimes people give you bottles of booze or invite you to a special event. A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be a part of the DC launch of Roe & Co’s Irish Whiskey at the fabulous Jack Rose Dining Saloon – an evening we thoroughly enjoyed.

We are always happy to try new products, but we don’t promise good reviews if we don’t actually like the liquor. Thankfully, this whiskey is one that we are pleased to recommend. We also really enjoyed meeting Caroline Martin, the distiller, and hearing about how this blended whiskey came to be. The name is pays homage to George Roe and his Dublin distillery – once the largest distillery in Ireland. 

Roe & Co DC launch party at Jack Rose
The Whiskey is a blend of Irish malt and grain whiskeys aged in bourbon barrels. We found it to be quite smooth and with warm spice notes. It has the characteristics of a nice bourbon. It’s pleasant to drink neat, but at the launch party we were able to mix our own highball variations using an array of ingredients that were laid out for us.

The drink that we created that evening we later perfected back in our home bar. It’s a combination of the Roe & Co Irish Whiskey, pear, hibiscus, and ginger beer. Letting a hibiscus tea bag sit in the glass with the whiskey for a few minutes allows the drink to take on the floral notes and a beautiful rosy hue – hence the name of our drink Roe’s Bouquet. The pear is not there simply to add flavor, but also as a way to reference the old pear tree that still blooms in Dublin on the site of the original George Roe Distillery.

The Cocktail Artist sketching at the Roe & Co DC Launch Party

The Cocktail Artist did a couple of quick sketches during the evening while we were at Jack Rose, and later did a painting of the Roe & Co Whiskey bottle. If you can get a bottle for yourself, we highly recommend it.

 Scroll down for the cocktail recipe. This is a drink that will be on our regular rotation during the warm weather.

Cheers!



Roe's Bouquet

2 1/2 ounces Roe & Co Irish Whiskey
1 Hibiscus tea bag
2 slices of fresh pear
1 1/2 ounces Ginger Beer 

Pour the whiskey into a mixing glass will the slices of pear and the hibiscus tea bag. Let sit for a couple of minute and then give the mixture a stir to release the hibiscus. Remove the tea bag and press the slices of pear against the side of the glass to release their juice. Add several ice cubes to the mixing glass and stir briefly. Strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice cubes. Add the ginger beer and give the drink a quick stir. Garnish with a pear slice.

The cocktail and the ingredients

Roe & Co Whiskey - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist

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