Happy Hour: Irish Maiden

I love St. Patrick's Day for so many reasons.  You can't beat the Kansas City St. Patrick's Day parade and I could live on cabbage.  I used to obsess over Irish step dancing when I was younger.  Clovers are adorable.  Oh, and Irish drinks are certainly fun, too. ;)

In anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, I decided I needed to master a new whiskey drink and came across the Irish Maiden.  I don't think I could have invented a drink that is more perfectly me.  Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice is my favorite mixer.  It is so refreshing and goes well with gin, tequila, vodka, and apparently whiskey, too.

Ginger, honey, and grapefruit juice make this drink a rather classy option for your St. Pat's celebration.  For people on the fence about whiskey, one Irish Maiden will make you a believer.  The parts about whiskey that I imagine people wouldn't like are toned down by the honey and grapefruit juice.  Don't worry, whiskey lovers like Jarrod!  While tart due to the grapefruit, the drink is adjustably sweet, so whiskey's wonderful taste is not overpowered.

I used a small piece of fresh ginger and club soda in place of the ginger ale that the original recipe calls for, so the only sweetness is coming from the natural honey.  The first time I made the original recipe's honey syrup and infused the fresh ginger in that, but that is much too fussy.  Simply shaking up the honey with the whiskey and juice will dissolve it beautifully and that hint of spicy ginger infuses in the drink with a few shakes also.

The Irish Maiden
adapted from Foodie Misadventure
makes two

4 shots whiskey
4 teaspoons local honey
juice of half a grapefruit
small piece of fresh ginger
splash of club soda

Put the first four ingredients in a shaker and um, shake.  Strain over ice in two glasses.  Fill the rest of the glasses with club soda.  Stir and sip.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!