Can you drink whiskey with dinner? Oisín Davis thinks you can, so much so that he has written a book about it. Davis has always been an avid promoter of Irish drinks through tastings, podcasts, events, and, in his first book, Irish Kitchen Cocktails. Next week, he will release his second, The Irish Whiskey Cookbook.
“My first book was all about encouraging people to make cocktails at home – it was very focused on the domestic enjoyment of Irish-made cocktails,” he says. “This one I see as a guide for people who want to enjoy Irish whiskey in a more elevated manner both at home and when they are out.
“With the book, I am trying to do is celebrate something that is very unique to Ireland, which is our Irish whiskey – it’s GI-protected. From a culinary perspective, it’s something we have been masters of for centuries. If we want to have a culinary culture that is unique to Ireland, then we really need to start showcasing the items that are truly unique to the island of Ireland.”
In the new book, Davis aims to highlight a different approach to whiskey, firstly by bringing it into food: “Literally cooking it in a sauce, mixing it into a cheese fondue, bringing the whiskey into a Irish coffee brownie”.
His other “core message” is that if you buy a bottle of whiskey and cook with it, you can keep it open and drink it alongside the food.
But does he believe that whiskey does go well with food as part of a meal?
“Absolutely it does. It may not be something that you would have throughout the entire meal but it an Irish whiskey cocktail or even a nice straight serve is lovely as an aperitif. But if you want to have an Irish whiskey paired with your main course, where we would normally veer towards the wine, I suggest you look at cocktails. That’s what we’ve done in the book; for every dish, there is an Irish whiskey recommendation, whether it’s a straight serve or a cocktail. I love a straight whiskey at the end of the meal at the cheese board. Irish cheeses go absolutely wonderfully well with Irish whiskeys. I think restaurants that have cheese boards and don’t bring out the Irish whiskey, or at least suggest it, are missing out.”
Davis looks at how other producer countries such as the US and Scotland view their whisky and reckons we have “a lot of catching up to do”.
“In both those countries their whiskys are far more integrated into their culinary cultures and into their menus, whether it’s bourbon and a nice barbecue sauce, or how well they pair seafood and their cheeses over in Scotland. It may not be to everyone’s taste to enjoy an Irish whiskey with every course of food at a meal but if you haven’t had an Irish whiskey alongside a nice dessert or an Irish cheese board, I would highly recommend starting there.”
Davis’s book has 50 recipes, all containing Irish whiskey and each with a suggested pairing. “I have recipes that go back as far as the 19th century and I have recipes that are my own and then others that are just kind of twists on other whiskey classics,” he says.
Dishes include duck breast with spiced redcurrant whiskey sauce, chicken and whiskey hot wings, baby back ribs with whiskey, ginger ale and lime, scallops with a whiskey soy glaze, and chocolate whiskey mousse.
Does he have a favourite whiskey recipe?
“There’s definitely a couple of very approachable, very easy recipes that everyone can give a go. From the sweet side I would say that the Irish coffee brownie is very easy to pull off and complements an Irish coffee beautifully. And then the Irish whiskey cream sauce for steaks. I think that any gastropub or restaurant that is celebrating Irish food but is not serving something like an Irish cream sauce with their steaks should be fined.”
The Irish Whiskey Cookbook: 50 Recipes to Cook, Sip and Savour is published by Nine Bean Rows
