Mint Julep with Irish Whiskey

Every year when the Kentucky derby rolls around, I wish I had planned ahead and thrown a derby party, or better yet, planned a trip to Louisville. But it always sneaks up on me. This year the Kentucky Derby falls on my birthday, which also snuck up on me. How does that keep happening? I’ve always wanted to go to the Derby and I hope that someday I do.  But this year I am just going to hang out around here and probably catch up with some friends.  Keep it low key. Nothing very Derby related except for this…

A mint julep. Though I’m not sure you can still call it that when the whiskey is Irish, not Bourbon. I’m no spirits sommelier, but I would venture to guess that since mint juleps involve sugar, soda water and mint, it probably doesn’t matter too much what whiskey you use.  When we have whiskey around, for obvious reasons, it is always Irish whiskey.  

Paul’s cousin’s husband works for Cooley distillery, in County Louth, Ireland. The distillery  was converted in 1987 from an older potato alcohol plant by John Teeling and within a decade it began to earn an impressive reputation for outstanding quality.  In 2011, the distillery was bought by Beam Inc. which was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.  Despite the changes in ownership, the product line remains very Irish. Popular for its Kilbeggan blended whiskey, Greenore single grain whiskey, Connemara peated single malt whiskey, and Tyrconnell double distilled single malt whiskey, the Cooley distillery is proud of its heritage as the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. And it is definitely on my must-see list for our next trip to Ireland.

I wonder what the Irish would think of the mint julep? I remember the first time I tasted one, sometime in my early twenties,  I thought that the combination of mint and Bourbon was so weird. But now, now I love it.  I love the smell of a mint julep and the way it’s strong and sweet at the same time.  The way it conjures up images of seersucker suits, big hats and deviled eggs - three of my favorite things.

This recipe involves just a tiny bit of advance planning but it’s great because you can make just one or a whole pitcher of them, in case you are having a Derby party (show-off).  And also because mint simple syrup is delicious and can be used for a number of different things. Like for mojitos, dressing up a fruit salad or brushing on cake layers.  Here’s how you do it.

To make Mint Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup mint leaves

Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat and add mint leaves, pushing them down gently with a spoon so that they are totally immersed in liquid but not getting torn or muddled.  Remove from heat and let the mixture infuse for one hour. Strain, discarding mint leaves and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

To make 1 Mint Julep with Irish Whiskey

Ice

2.5 oz Irish Whiskey

2 splashes soda water

1 tbs mint simple syrup

Mint leaves for garnish

Add ice to a rocks glass. Pour in whiskey, mint simple syrup and about two splashes of soda water. Stir and garnish with mint leaves.

Spring is Here: Breakfast on the Grill

Future Women's Irish National Team players

Isn’t it great when the good weather finally arrives? In Chicago we really have to wait for it, but we are so, so grateful when it comes. I hate that the kids are cooped up for so many months and that I feel like I’m on a never-ending hunt for indoor activities that do not involve technology. Our backyard is a postage stamp and in the five years we have lived in our house we have managed not to fix it up at all, despite our best intentions. Still, we’ve got a small garden, a sandbox and a soccer goal.  What more could you ask for? Awesome neighbors. Yep, we’ve got those too, so we’re good.

This weekend wasn’t super warm but it was sunny, and nice enough to be outside for most of the day.  Our Cousins returned home to Ireland on Saturday and we were sad to see them go. The morning after they left, immediately after Isla woke up she ran downstairs to find them.  She came back up in tears after realizing that they were really gone.

But, before they left we had a big Irish breakfast courtesy of my father-in-law and the Irish Boutique. Winston’s sausages, Irish bacon, white pudding, black pudding, eggs, beans, hash browns, and pancakes and strawberries.  Paul was inside making the pancakes and because it was nice out, I decided to do all of the meats and the eggs outside on the grill. Recently, we’ve been using our grill for more than just your typical burgers and sausages. Grilling whole chickens, a turkey breast and now, breakfast. I haven’t tried it yet but I want to make fried chicken on the grill too, since I refuse to deep fry anything in the house.

I love the days when we can eat dinner (or breakfast) outside and stay out until bedtime. I love not having to clean up the stovetop - because I’m I freak about making sure the stovetop is always clean (even though nothing else is). I also love how cooking outside gets the kids outside and gets us all talking and playing and moving more. It may be a little premature but I’m already thinking about ice cream weather and what flavors we should make this year.

She likes black pudding! 

Soda Bread Muffins with Jumbo Raisins

We got a bunk bed. Woo hoo! In preparation for a visit from our relatives from Ireland we went ahead and bought a bunk bed. The plan is to let our cousin's kids use it while they are here and then eventually move it upstairs for Emmett and Isla.  At least that was the plan, until I decided that I am never going to take it apart and put it back together again because the entire thing needs to be assembled with one of those little allen wrenches (I tried to use a power drill with a head that seemed to fit the slot on the screws, but none of them budged).  While assembly was straightforward enough, I NEVER want to see an allen wrench again. Oh well, at least we have a bunk bed downstairs, just in case. Isla loves climbing up there but doesn’t understand how to get down quite yet. Her method is to catapult herself off the top bunk face forward and hope she doesn’t hit the ground too hard. It’s a short distance down so this isn’t the worst thing. It’s actually pretty funny.

This last week everything was a little off kilter with me being sick and then Eve and all of us with our plans, plan, plans. I don’t even want to imagine what your calendar looks like when your kids are older than my little tots. Don’t tell me. It makes my head spin. Still, we ran out of muffins, and I was craving soda bread because St. Patrick’s Day came and went and I never had a slice. This state of events, led to google, which led to soda bread muffins. Which totally hit the spot, and, embarrassingly, were the only form of sustenance on which I single-handedly completed the assembly of the above-referenced never-to-be-disassembled-bunk-bed. Yep. These are powerful little nuggets of soda bread deliciousness.

The funny thing is, and if you’ve got kids you can probably totally relate, I bought these gorgeous multi-colored jumbo raisins at Trader Joe’s because my kids are crazy for raisins.  I put a whole bunch of them in the muffins and wouldn’t you know it, they HATE that there are raisins in the muffins. I’m obviously an idiot for thinking that a kid who gobbles raisins by the handful from a bag or little cardboard box would like them cooked, in muffins. What was I thinking?

Then again, maybe it was genius, maybe I want these muffins all for myself. Mwahahaha (evil laughter).

Soda Bread Muffins with Jumbo Raisins

Adapted from a recipe by King Arthur Flour

1 ½  cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

¾ cup White Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼  teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 ½   cups jumbo raisins

1 large egg

1 cup full fat greek yogurt

⅛ cup water

7 tablespoons butter, melted;

sparkling white sugar, for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt and water.

3. In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and raisins.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring with a large spoon. Don’t overmix. It’s ok if the  batter is a little bit crumbly.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and top with sparkling white sugar, if desired.

6. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove them from the oven. To prevent the muffins from getting soggy bottoms remove them from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.