The Irish Whiskey Cookbook that every great kitchen needs

Oisín Davis’s second whiskey book, the Irish whiskey Cookbook, unveils a pantry stuffed with flavour and imagination

In Ireland, there’s a yawning gap in the relationship between whiskey and the island’s food. You may have encountered a whiskey ice-cream or a chocolate pairing, but passions tend to dissipate around the idea of using a single malt or pot still as a core ingredient with fish or fowl.

It’s a weakness that’s distinctly absent from Spain’s devotion to its sherry or the French love affair with its own wine. Indeed, the approach of most food-focused nations is to marry the output of farm and vine, meat and grain at every opportunity, and with gusto. In Ireland though, whiskey has stayed firmly behind the bar.

The Irish Whiskey Cookbook

Times are changing though. In a personal and moving ode to (possibly) Ireland’s greatest invention, the writer, broadcaster and food and drink champion, Oisín Davis, has penned his second book: The Irish Whiskey Cookbook. It’s a deep dive into a realm of possibility that attempts to ignite our imaginations around whiskey as a staple ingredient in pantries.

Davis’s flavour palate comes infused with his north American DNA. The reflections on food he offers, bring us back and forth across the Atlantic, introducing the influence of his father and uncles who introduced him to the tastes of BBQ-blackened meats and whiskey-cured finishes that dominate the savoury section of his book.

Fused with his Irish upbringing, these US flavours create a cavalcade of food memories. Baby back ribs with whiskey, ginger ale and lime or duck breast dripping in spiced redcurrant whiskey sauce cast us up Stateside, while Boxty with whiskey-cured trout and pearl barley risotto with whiskey-flambed Dublin Bay Prawns drops us right back in the beating heart of Ireland.

The sweet trolley in this book trundles between Davis’s two home places too, setting elderflower and whiskey marshmallows against blackcurrant, lavender and whisky jelly with custard; or stout and whiskey truffles against an orange whiskey curd with Greek yogurt and gingernuts. It’s a wonderfully international lineup that somehow manages to wrap Japanese, French and Chinese ingredients into a perfectly Irish package.

There are 50 savoury and sweet recipes in this terrific lineup and the first to reach my pan will be the wild Irish venison with whiskey and blackberries. There’s no shortage of wild venison in Ireland, nor blackberries, so to fuse it with the spice and honey of an Irish whiskey is a great suggestion.

Davis partnered with Glendalough Distillery on The Irish Whiskey Cookbook, using a range of its award-winning single malt, grain and single pot still from the Wicklow-based whiskey maker. Mizanura, madeira, peated and Burgandy finishes each make an appearance here, showcasing the versatility of Glendalough’s lineup.

[ The Irish Whiskey Cookbook is published by Nine Bean Rows and is available everywhere that books are sold.]

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