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In the drink Go mad for Irish poitin

from All At Sea March 2023

from All At Sea March 2023, page 35

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between £1.80 and £2 for a 500ml bottle at four per cent abv. Also on draught at pubs, mainly in the southern home counties.

Poitin (pronounced ‘poteen’) is great for some party craic the Irish way, but still suffers from a perception of being the product of illicit distilling that turns you blind, mad or perhaps worse. But it has a rich heritage and is fully legal now, subject to the same production standards as Irish whiskey.

The producers claim it is the original Irish spirit and has been knocking around since the sixth century, which would possibly make it the oldest spirit in the world.

First distilled by monks (what spirit wasn’t?), it was banned by the British in 1661, made legal in 1997 and awarded EU Geographical Statusmust be made in Ireland or Northern Ireland - in 2008. Folklore claims it was made from potatoes or other organic vegetables or plants that could be found in the ﬁelds during its ‘illicit’ years. These days it is made from barley, just like Irish whiskey.

The Mad March Hare distillery uses locally sourced malted barley, distils three times in small copper pot stills in the traditional way, then cuts back with Irish spring water to 40 per cent abv.

Tasting notes: malty nose, coconut and apple, vanilla, creamy texture, smooth. Drink it neat in a small shot glass, with a little water or ‘long’ with tonic.

You can also use it to make some amazing Irish cocktails to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Here is one typical recipe well worth trying:

1 part Mad March Hare poitin, 2 parts ginger beer, generous slice of fresh lime, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Available in bottle shops in Ireland, but in the UK the easiest way is to buy it online, from about £33 at Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange (plus delivery) to £40.58 from Amazon for a 70cl bottle. Half a dozen other brands will also

Hopping Hare

From the Badger brewery in Dorset, Hopping Hare is a light hoppy pale ale featuring aromatic citrus American Amerillo hops. A good session beer for the ‘working’ part of a ﬁtting-out party, perhaps with Poitin as a chaser to get the party going. Available in mainstream supermarkets, priced

Boost for British Bubbly

We predicted last year that the general disruption of imports from the EU could create a beneﬁcial opportunity for English wines in the UK. It seems this prediction came true, at least for Chapel Down in Tenterden, Kent, England’s biggest producer of both still and sparkling wine.

The company reports that sales of its traditional method sparkling wine (direct competitor to Champagne) grew 53 per cent in 2022 versus 2021 with strong Christmas sales. Even exports, mainly to Scandinavia, grew a spectacular 164 per cent.

Fresh and fruity, Chapel Down ﬁzz is widely stocked in main supermarkets at between £20 and £30, depending on the vintage, for a 75cl bottle, 13 per cent abv. Another great patriotic way to add some sparkle to a launching or ﬁttingout party.

Editor Jane Hyde 07940 240390 editor@allatsea.co.uk

Art Editor Mark Hyde design@allatsea.co.uk

Contributors

David Henshall

Paul Antrobus

Advertising and Distribution 07596 269681 advertising@allatsea.co.uk

Publisher Jane Hyde 07940 240390 / editor@allatsea.co.uk

Publishing Assistant Marianne Rickard services

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