Apparently a bartender in Panama whipped up this little number to celebrate two of Baker’s friends being released from the local jail, where they were locked up after committing “slight offenses not necessary to mention.” My money’s on drunk and disorderly.
This is the first cocktail I’ve made from Baker’s book that can be either shaken or blended. In these cases, Baker recommends what he refers to as “The Blender,” so that’s what I used. Not that it mattered, really; with a name like “Kelly’s Shamrock Special,” you know this drink is going to suck. It didn’t disappoint.
- 1 jigger dry gin (2 oz Beefeater)
- Juice of 1 small lime (3/4 oz)
- 2 tsp green crème de menthe (DeKuyper)
- 1/2 tsp superfine sugar or simple syrup (superfine sugar)
- 1 egg white
Shake with ice, or blend with shaved ice. Strain (if shaken), or shake through a sieve (if blended), into a tall cocktail glass with stem. Garnish with a clover leaf, shamrock, or sprig of mint.
If the name hadn’t raised a red flag, the presence of crème de menthe certainly would have. Although an egg white would normally add body to a drink, it did absolutely nothing here as far as I can tell. The crème de menthe lends a flavor that might best be described as “plastic mint.” And, to state the obvious, this drink looks incredibly tacky.
I realize I took on this project voluntarily, but let me just say this: It really galls me that Baker is forcing me to buy garbage like crème de menthe. Someone ought to gather up every bottle of that stuff and fire it all straight into the sun.
Kelly's Shamrock Special: ★★☆☆☆
Well, the Brizard Creme de Menthe isn’t awful, stick with the White.
But, yes, the bad drinks sometimes make a project like this frustrating.
To be honest, this doesn’t even sound all that bad…
Erik, do you have a local source for the Marie Brizard crème de menthe? I’d love to upgrade, especially if I don’t have to mail-order the stuff!
And yeah, this drink doesn’t taste completely awful, in spite of my ranting. I think I docked it a star for its tacky appearance.
Brizard is distributed by Southern these days so really should be available, but for some reason has disappeared from most shelves.
I’ll ask around, I’d like to pick up some of their Parfait Amour, myself.
Cask carries the Parfait Amour, or at least they did the last time I checked (that’s where I bought mine). I have no idea why they don’t stock more Brizard stuff…
You need to retry all the Creme de Menthe recipes with Giffard Menthe Pastille which is newly available in the U.S. It is hands down the best mint liqueur I have ever tasted.