MIDLETON VERY RARE, THE PINNACLE OF IRISH WHISKEY, LAUNCHES 2025 VINTAGE

The Whiskey Wire

(other spirits may appear!)

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MIDLETON VERY RARE, THE PINNACLE OF IRISH WHISKEY, LAUNCHES 2025 VINTAGE 

Six distillate styles unite to create a commemorative whiskey that honours Midleton Distillery’s 200-year legacy

Midleton Very Rare, the pinnacle of Irish Whiskey, is proud to unveil Midleton Very Rare 2025, an extraordinary blend of the finest single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys, spanning four decades. This year’s vintage is a testament to both tradition and innovation, expertly crafted to pay homage to Midleton Distillery’s 200th anniversary*.

Drawing on his extensive expertise in distillation and maturation, Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman led an exceptional team in creating Midleton Very Rare 2025. Their journey began with the careful selection of rare single pot still and single grain whiskeys from Midleton’s prestigious A2 Warehouse, an historic stone warehouse dating back to the 1860s, where the best performing whiskeys are set aside to mature.  

In their pursuit of perfection, and for the first time in the collection’s history, the team identified six exquisite distillate styles, each representing generations of artisans who have shaped the Midleton Very Rare legacy. Masterfully blended, these distillates unite to create a whiskey of remarkable depth and complexity. This milestone release stands as testament to Midleton Very Rare unwavering craftsmanship, visionary spirit and commitment to pushing the boundaries of Irish whiskey excellence, an ethos that has stood at the core of the distillery since its very inception.

*Midleton Distillery was founded in 1825

Unique to the 2025 vintage, O’Gorman hand selected three styles of grain whiskey for inclusion. Alongside Midleton’s signature grain whiskey, he included a 22-Year-Old select batch special grain whiskey, crafted from a mash bill of barley and malted barley, which was blended with an equally rare 21 Year-Old grain whiskey. Both matured in refill ex- American whiskey oak barrels, allowing the luscious sweetness and rich butterscotch notes of the distillate to shine through. 

Midleton Very Rare 2025 also features an increased pot still contribution, adding an intricate layer of complexity with deep spice and stone fruit notes, beautifully complementing the notes of sweet toffee, butterscotch, gentle floral and cut grass nuances of the grain whiskey. After meticulous blending, the team created three initial prototypes. Following a series of delicate refinements, enhancing the contribution of pot still whiskey aged in first fill barrels brought the final expression into perfect harmony. The result is an exquisitely complex whiskey with a well-balanced finish, one that stays true to the Midleton Very Rare profile while introducing a subtle yet defining twist for this year’s vintage.  

Celebrating the launch of Midleton Very Rare 2025, Kevin O’Gorman shares:

"As we celebrate 200 years of whiskey making excellence at Midleton Distillery it is a true honour to craft a vintage that commemorates this remarkable legacy. Midleton Very Rare 2025 is a whiskey of depth and balance, meticulously composed from six distinct distillate styles, each representing generations of mastery, innovation, and dedication that have become synonymous with Midleton Very Rare. This milestone release not only pays tribute to the past but also looks to the future. As we honour this historic occasion, my team and I remain committed to laying down more extraordinary whiskeys that will continue to shape and inspire the Midleton Very Rare legacy for the next 200 years and beyond.”

Housed in a beautifully crafted, fully recyclable* gift box, the Midleton Very Rare 2025 bottle is adorned with elegant details, including an illustration of Midleton Distillery, its iconic pot stills, and a commemorative stamp marking the distillery’s historic 200th anniversary.

Midleton Very Rare 2025 was bottled at 40% ABV and will be available from 15th April, initially in Ireland, the USA, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, Irish and global travel retail and Irish Distillers’ brand homes at the RRP of €240, $350, £220, and in additional markets later in 2025. 

press release

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Kinsale 21 Gin 40% ABV.

Each drop is a sensation! Also a standout in cocktails

Widely available at about €40.00

Kinsale Gin is a prize-winning spirit featuring an impressive blend of 21 botanicals. According to the makers, "We go the extra mile to hand-pick local botanicals to achieve complete perfection. Each of our treasured 21 botanicals has been carefully chosen to contribute something extraordinary to our gin. We gather them seasonally and responsibly, ensuring enough is left for local wildlife and promoting future growth."

I have loved this gin for quite a while. It is fresh and captures the essence of the open countryside, which is not surprising since many of the 21 botanicals are foraged from the local area. When you don't overwhelm the essential spirit with too much tonic or excessive mixers, you'll notice beautiful notes of juniper, alongside the floral hints of meadowsweet, elderflower, and elderberries, complemented by the exotic aromas of lemon verbena and lemon geranium. They describe it as: “The sweetness from the

Greenwich Café Brunch A Perfect Finalé To Cork On A Fork Festival

Greenwich Café Brunch A Perfect Finalé To Cork On A Fork Festival

Eggs Royale: O'Connell's Smoked Salmon, Poached East Ferry Farm Eggs and Hollandaise sauce. The best Eggs Royale I've tasted in a long long time and Evin (of Brunch Cork), at the table with us, agreed. The ingredients were superb. The smoked salmon was a light and delightful surprise, so much better than what you get in many hotel breakfasts, you know those that come with a punchy aroma that dominates everything else on the plate.

Greenwich café chef patron Dermot O'Sullivan supports local all year round at the popular Caroline Street venue. So it was no big surprise to see him do it again with his Cork on a Fork Brunch special last Sunday, fittingly entitled "A Celebration of The English Market with Kinsale Gin". No surprise either to see the event sell out. 

It was quite a gin weekend for us and
the Kinsale version kept up the
standard in this welcome G&T
just after arrival.

CL enjoyed her tasty plate of Irish mushrooms on Pana sourdough toast, Parmesan shavings and slow-roasted tomatoes with basil pesto. Again the ingredients were key. The mushrooms and tomatoes were packed full of flavour and there was no shortage of moisture to soften the sourdough crust. Thumbs up again!

We had recently enjoyed the third dish on this special menu and knew the Strawberry Crumble Challah Bread French Toast using challah bread from The Alternative Bread Company, new season Irish strawberries, whipped mascarpone and oat crumble / or Rosscarbery bacon with maple syrup is another gem from the little kitchen here.

French Toast (from a previous visit)
is a regular on the menu here

Felicity Roberts of the Greenwich team heading to the sunny terrace
during last Sunday's A Taste of The English Market Brunch
 with Kinsale Gin during Cork on a Fork Fest. 
Pic: Joleen Cronin.

Supporting local is ingrained here in Greenwich. Just check out all the local names on the regular menu below.

MILESTONE FOR KINSALE GIN

press release

 MILESTONE FOR KINSALE GIN

 

 

Ernest Cantillon from Kinsale Spirit Company, shopper Claire McLaughlin from Blackrock, and Michael Creedon of Bradley’s Specialist Off-Licence and Foodstore, North Main Street, Cork, celebrated a major milestone for Kinsale Gin as Claire was the purchaser of the 100,000th bottle, providentially in the first store that stocked the drink when it hit the shelves in 2016.

 

Claire said: 'I am thrilled to be the person who bought the 100,000th bottle. I have loved Kinsale Gin from the very start so it was such a lovely surprise to be part of this monumental moment for the brand, and of course Bradley's too!'

 

As a thank you, Kinsale Spirit Co., are treating Claire to a weekend away, in Kinsale, where she will be spoiled with some of the things that makes Kinsale so special to them – a meal from Fishy Fishy, chocolates from Koko’s, and of course, the small batch premium Kinsale Gin.

 

Speaking about this outstanding achievement, Michael Creedon of Bradley’s said “we are delighted to have sold the 100,000^th bottle of this fine drink, back here where its story all began. In 2016 we put the first 100 bottles of Kinsale Gin on shelf, and it sold out within a week. It’s important to us to stock the very best quality produce from the Cork region – a gin distilled using botanicals hand-picked around Kinsale? You can’t beat it.”

 

Publican and entrepreneur Ernest Cantillon adds “I’m sure some of the other brands sell a lot higher quantities, but for us this was a very big deal. Our thanks to Michael, Claire, and to all of our customers for the support in getting us here.”

 

Kinsale Spirit Company came about when Kinsale native and publican, Tom O’Riordan realised that the town of Kinsale, known for its excellent food and drink, felt a locally produced spirit product would both benefit from, and help, this international reputation. He also noticed the emergence of gin in the craft spirit category and along with his sister Clodagh, and friends and fellow publicans, Ernest and Colin Ross, began the journey that resulted in Kinsale Gin. The first batch was released in 2016, 100 bottles and only for sale in Bradley's Off-licence. It sold out in a week, encouraging the Kinsale team to press on with the venture. 

 

The move into Whiskey production was a natural progression and they launched Red Earl Whiskey in April, 2020. Kinsale Spirit Co., look to be producing 300,000 bottles per annum, producing Irish Whiskey, Gin, and other spirits in time. 

 

Kinsale’s Red Earl is already being exported to several countries, including strong sales in the US and China. Work is under way for the delivery of two more whiskeys later this year: Great Earl Single Grain Irish Whiskey named in honour of Hugh, The Great O’Neill, and Spanish Earl Single Malt Irish Whiskey, in honour of Juan del Agula, representative of the King of Spain who fought alongside the Irish.

 

Kinsale Spirit Company also made history this week as they went to market with the first ever Whiskey Cask represented by an NFT (A non-fungible token) and auctioned on the NFT marketplace OpenSea. The 200-litre cask of Rare Irish Malt Whiskey, is live for auction until Friday, April 30th https://opensea.io/collection/rare-aged-irish-malt-whiskey-casks

 

Gold on the treble for Kinsale Gin in San Francisco

press release 

Kinsale Gin tops the charts at the International 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards winning gold in three categories

 

 

Kinsale Gin has completely surpassed expectations at the Bartender Spirits Awards in the USA by taking gold across three categories.

 

Kinsale Gin was awarded Gin Of The Year, Gin Producer Of The Year, and a Double Gold at highly prestigious international awards. This small-batch, premium Irish Gin has been distilled with local botanicals and derives its flavour from the Kinsale country-side. With elegant amounts of juniper, notes of meadowsweet, elderflower combine with aromas of lemon verbena and germanium. Other interesting and unusual botanicals underscore Kinsale Gin's complex personality. Very versatile either in a G&T or your favourite gin-based cocktail.

 

The Bartender Spirits Awards aim to provide independent and honest reviews for brands who are looking to enter the U.S. on-premise industry. The judging panel consists of some of the most renowned names in the U.S. bar industry, all of them with extensive expertise within the on-premise industry. The results serve as a relevant and practical source of reference for bartenders, bar managers, bar owners, and other industry professionals when making purchasing decisions for their establishments, opening many doors internationally for this Cork brand.

 

Speaking about this outstanding achievement for Kinsale Gin, publican and entrepreneur Ernest Cantillon says “We are really delighted with the awards as they couldn’t have come at a better time - we have just launched both Kinsale Gin and Red Earl in the US. These awards are based in San Francisco so the US credibility and press are invaluable.”

 

The competition recognizes that bartenders are the true influencers – their passions and tastes provide direction for the consumer, especially via their guidance with wine, beer or spirit recommendations. “We really wanted a way to recognize those spirits that would be a great addition to any bar and that are completely on-trend in terms of packaging and price,” said Sid Patel, Founder and CEO of Beverage Trade Network. “Whether bartenders are looking to plug a very specific gap in their existing spirits inventory, or construct an entirely new cocktail menu from scratch, what better advice could they get than from fellow bartenders? Medals were awarded to those spirits that meet very specific judging criteria, with a goal of identifying spirits that should become additions to bar inventories. Each spirits brand was evaluated on Mixability, Balance and Versatility, Taste, Mouthfeel and Finish, Package and Price.”

 

Kinsale Gin was one of 7 double gold winners which scored 96 and more points. The 2020 competition saw submissions from 34 countries including some new additions like Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Switzerland.

 

‘Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the industry,’ explained Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network, the Organizer company of BSA, ‘and when we come out of this, we hope to see a strong rebound in the hospitality sector. The increased number of quantity in 2020 submissions truly demonstrated the faith our industry has in the long term outlook of our hospitality industry’.

 

Kinsale Gin is owned by Cork’s Kinsale Spirit Company - co-founded by Ernest Cantillon, Colin Ross, and Tom O’Riordan - all current or ex-publicans who have spent their lifetimes serving drink and building extensive experience in the hospitality and beverage sectors.

Other drinks in their portfolio include the recently launched Red Early Whiskey, the first of the company’s ‘Battle of Kinsale’ series of whiskeys. The company is currently planning a new distillery for Kinsale, Co. Cork, due to open in 2021.

 

 

 

City Pulls Together in Cork Gourmet Trail 2019

City Pulls Together for Cork Gourmet Trail 2019

On the way. Pic via @corkgourmettrail 

There is great cooperation between the hotels, restaurants and bars in the city. The sentiments of Aaron Mansworth of Trigon Hotels and reiterated by Mags O’Connor of the Cornstore as the Cobh Clams descended on the Bodega and as we spoke about what it takes to put an event like this Cork Gourmet Trail on the road.

Sweet. From Olivo

Better explain, the Cobh Clams were one of five large groups taking part in the 2019 edition of the Trail and the Bodega, where neighbours Cornstore also had a stand, was our first port of call. The other groups that would follow, at intervals, were Bantry Barnacles, Monkstown Mussels, Leap Lobsters, and Shanagarry Scallops.

Gallaghers Gastro Bar

The event, part of the Cork Oyster Festival based at the Metropole (one of the Trigon hotels), began at noon and ended late-ish in the Met and in between visits were made to Cask, Dwyers of Cork, Greenes, The Oyster Tavern, Electric, Soho, Tequila Jacks, The New Yorker Bar & Bistro, Olivo at the Cork Airport Hotel, the Cornstore, Gallaghers, the Bodega and Arthur Maynes. We didn’t walk out to the Airport by the way as both the New Yorker and Olivo were accommodated in the city.

So what can you expect on a Cork Gourmet Trail. Quite a lot and all quite delicious, something for everyone. The Cornstore/Coqbull menu for the event is an excellent illustration. 

Brick Prawns brick pastry & basil wrapped prawns with jalapeno mayo.

Dry Aged Beef Yorkshire puddings stuffed with dry aged roast beef, caramelised white onion, wasabi mash and stuffing.

Mini Moqbull: Mushroom umami burger with vegan truffle mayo vegan cheese and rocket.

Bloody Mary Oyster: natural oyster with bloody mary jelly.

Angels on Horseback: oysters wrapped in Parma ham, deep fried in Japanese tempura batter with lime and courgette chutney.

Tasty, from Gallaghers

Takeout desserts from Cornstore

And the welcome here was warm, a drink (red and white wine and more) offered immediately. A table top full of local and international charcuterie and cheese, including an ultra spicy Spanish blue, while alongside Bodega chef Dave had some beauties including Oysters baked in their own Grainne Ale beer and a delicious Basket Cheese Cake with whiskey among the ingredients! And if you couldn’t sample everything - nobody could! - there were some lovely takeout desserts from the Cornstore.

And that welcome and choice of food and drink set the scene for the long afternoon, replicated all the way. More wine and hospitality on offer at Dwyers in Washington Street where we stuffed ourselves into the various nooks and crannies, every now and then replenishing at the stands of Dwyers itself and the New Yorker. The New Yorker’s Chicken Croquette, home-smoked in Barry’s Tea, was one treat, while one to finish with was the Jameson and Ginger Cheesecake by our hosts.

Bodega's Dave

Next stop was Electric who treated us to oysters and a Kinsale G&T. Kinsale Gin are among the sponsors. Earlier we started as we gathered in the Vance Room in the Met with yes, a G&T and oysters, before being divided up into the various groups and being introduced to our leaders. Our guide was Ray from Trigon and he didn’t lose anyone!

After Electric, we strolled down the Mall to the lovely and lively Tequila Jacks. More wine and also some delicious Tequila based cocktails and more good food, both from our hosts (a superb taco, also delicious Pork Belly) and some savoury and sweet stuff too from Olivo (including some well presented dessert bites).

Electric oysters

MET head chef Stuart Dardis (left)
with out guide Ray Kelleher (Trigon Hotels)

Cask was next on the itinerary and here also we met Gallaghers and the MET Tavern. Gallaghers had a trio of beauties including a Beef Featherblade with a Walnut Chutney. While the Met, with Head Chef Stuart Dardis on hand, had a great selection too including a palate pleasing tuna bite. Cask shone too, supplying the drinks and lots of their interesting tapas including exquisite prawns. And all the way through, it was smiles galore and helpful people even if, by this stage, they must have been explaining their offering for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Pure Cork!

We weren’t finished yet. Next stop was the Oyster Tavern and here we met a couple of stragglers from a previous group. They had stopped to do a bit of shopping in Penneys and were now running late! So we had a chat with that English duo as we had chats all through with whoever we happened to end up with, sometimes friends, sometimes total strangers, but no strangers when the day was through.

Another glass of wine in the Oyster and excellent food also. Soho were here as well and their Pork Belly was so good I called for it twice!

The final round-up was back at the Douglas Vance room in the Metropole but some were saying their goodbyes. We were humming and hawing about it as we strolled down Patrick Street. The rain, which had been intermittent all afternoon, was now pelting down and that, plus the fact that there was a No. 208 conveniently at our bus-stop, made up our minds for us and we headed home after a terrific day in the city. Well done to all behind the Trail, the Oyster Festival itself and to one lady in particular (who we are all thinking of this weekend).

At Benchspace. Making a Wine Valet. Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

At Benchspace Making a Wine Valet. 
Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

It seems you can, after all, teach an old dog new tricks. 

Thanks to Martin Horgan and his colleagues at Benchspace, I learned something about woodworking in a couple of hours last Saturday. I also met The Dog (a tool for holding your piece) and the Shooting Board (used with the plane to help smooth and straighten edges).

But what is Benchspace? You may well be asking. 

Benchspace Cork provides space and equipment for independent craftsmen and hobbyists alike in woodworking. Cork and Ireland's first shared-access Woodwork Workshop is located in the Marina Commercial Park. They provide industry standard machinery, dedicated maker-spaces, communal workbenches and classes. And you can become a part of The Capital of Making.

It is a not-for-profit shared workshop and the aim is to provide affordable access to work benches and professional standard machinery to local furniture makers and designers, particularly to graduates and early career professionals. 

David Scannell, who invited me, and a few others, to the Saturday session, says they also actively encourage collaboration and co-working to stimulate creativity and innovation in the areas of craft and design, and aim to build links with other creative and manufacturing organisations to make this happen. It is also a place where the public, individually or in groups, are welcome to come and build their ideas.

“This is in line with our vision of Cork as a creative hub, where entrepreneurs, artists, designers, makers, creatives and techies, work together as part of a vibrant, productive and invigorating creative economy.”

Drilling

So what did we do? Well, after a welcome and a briefing, I choose my little piece of lumber and was guided into turning it into a drinks valet. Sponsors Kinsale Gin was the chosen bottle and there were two glasses as well to be accommodated in the valet.

Not bad! My finished valet.

Martin led us in practising our measuring and sawing skills. I even got to use an amazing, I thought so anyhow, Japanese saw. Most of the morning was spent in getting the length (mainly) and width correct. Martin then put them all in a large saw so that we were all more or less level. Time then for coffee, tea and cakes!

Hands on for Evin

After  a hectic six months of preparation, an online Fundit campaign and building, Benchspace Cork got up and running last month. The project received massive support from “our crowd funders, our night class makers, our volunteers and our full time makers”.

Marking

Have a project in mind that you’d like to build yourself? Then a Maker Session might just be the answer. Guided Maker sessions allow you to build your own woodwork project with the help and advice of an experienced furniture maker using the facilities of the Benchspace workshop. You supply your own materials and they will supply the tools, advice and coffee.

Tools

So back to Saturday and the second half of our session. More measuring now as we lined up our three holes, one for the bottle and one for each of the stems of the glasses. 

Precision was required here and not always supplied. I needed Martin’s help,again as we lined them up, along with the access for the stems. But, with Martin supplying a neat finish with the chisel, we got there. The drills came into play here and there was a smell of burning timber (ease back, and go again) as the holes were made. 

Now we were able to try out the valet and bingo it worked! But we weren’t finished yet. Martin applied a round finish (there were other choices) to my edges. David then used the sanding machine and I used a little piece of sandpaper to smooth any little rough edges before getting my hands on a rag and a little oil to bring up the final finish. 

Happy out! And even happier when we were each presented with a bottle of Kinsale Gin to take home! A big big thanks to the Benchspace team for their patience, skill and hospitality over the four hours in the workshop. I’m certain others will make even better use of the place and I'm glad to help get the work out and about.

An unnamed instrument, by Brian Leach.
Update: Now named as a Lap Harp

If you’d like an easy start then how about their Christmas Bites classes next Saturday and the following Saturday. Join them in the workshop for some hand planing, sawing and Christmas music. 

Benchspace Bites are a great chance to try your hand at woodwork with no experience necessary. The valuable skills learned during the class can be applied to almost any future woodwork project. Benchspace Bites are short introductory sessions where you can make your very own piece in a single class.

David: “We have two sessions 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm on both the 2nd and 9th of December. For more info and tickets click here. 

Martin Horgan

This is a great festive way to learn some basic woodworking skills as well as make some decorations you can proudly hang on your Christmas tree. We’re kicking off Christmas early in the workshop. Join us and learn how to hand make beautiful Scandinavian Wood Shaving Christmas Decorations...and a few surprises.”

“We'll also be doing more Saturday morning classes next year, starting on the first week of January. Details will be up on our Facebook page soon.”

“We will also include a ‘maker clinic’ for new projects, where you can get advice on how best to approach your project, where to find materials, what equipment you might need to use and how long it might take.”

As part of Cork’s exciting new maker space, you will meet other makers, and share their knowledge and experience. There are opportunities for collaboration, inspiration, sharing of costs, networking and just staying in touch. 

Most importantly, membership fees support the Benchspace dream, to make Cork a capital of making, to support makers as they launch their careers. Membership fees (€50.00 for 12 months) are an important source of income for Benchspace Cork, which is a not-for-profit organisation.

Oysters Galore on the Cork Gourmet Trail

Oysters Galore on the Cork Gourmet Trail

How many did you eat?

“I had nineteen oysters last night,” claimed a London visitor to the weekend’s Cork Oyster Festival. And that “last night” was just the official launch. I’m still wondering how many she managed during the Gourmet Trail on the following day. 

The trail visited five venues and some had up to three restaurants combining. There were so many opportunities to indulge in the delicious crustaceans she must surely have doubled the tally from the previous night!

Gin cocktail in a cup at Cask

And there were even more plates of the tasty oysters available at the after party as the various groups found their way back to the ballroom at the Metropole Hotel, the Festival’s headquarters. Oysters, more drinks and music. Well done to instigator/organiser Sandra Murphy and her crew.

Sandra was with our group on the trail and our be-hatted leaders were Kylie from the International Hotel and James from the Imperial. We were last to leave but our intrepid guides had us back good and early to join the after party.

Sushi at The Met

Lord Mayor Tony Fitzgerald had opened the festival on Friday night and the oyster event added to the terrific buzz around town as Culture Night drew the crowds. Guests at the launch were treated to oysters (included cooked versions) by Haven Shellfish and there was also some tempting sushi available with bubbles and wine and, of course, Murphy’s Stout from the sponsors.

On Saturday at noon, the ballroom was full but, after a Kinsale Gin and Tonic, we were divided into groups, met our leaders and headed off on the trail. More gin, part of a cocktail in a cup, at our first stop, the stunning Cask, just across the road. Lots of tasty bites here too and time also to begin to get to know our fellow trailers.

Cornstore were displaying their Himalayan salt (used to age their famous steaks).

Next stop was the Oyster Tavern, another lovely venue where I enjoyed an excellent meal recently. The oysters here were provided by the Electric Fish Bar, great spot to visit. The Oyster Tavern themselves came up with delicious sliders and bowls of chips. 

Amicus were also feeding us with Tom Durcan beef, including carpaccio and teriyaki versions, and more, though their seasonal desserts, Kitchen Garden Rhubarb Fool and the Foraged Blackberry Fool, were irresistible.

Down the stairs then and out into the lane for another group photo before winding up Patrick St and visiting the Bodega where Rachel’s and Cornstore were also lining up with their offerings. The Bodega sushi (one pickled vegetable, another was smoked salmon) went down a treat. 

Sandra rallies her troops as the rain arrives

Mike Ryan of the Cornstore - terrific dinner there recently - was the oyster “supplier” and he had a welcome variation called Angels on Horseback (the dish is typically prepared by rolling shucked oysters in bacon and baking them in an oven). 

That was excellent though I noticed quite few voicing a preference for the battered prawn version! Rachel’s had a couple (at least) of show stoppers, including a shot of Tomato Water and a shot glass packed full of lobster.

So back to the Imperial Hotel (for the second time in a  couple of days) and they had help from Jacques and Arthur Mayne’s.

Imperial desserts

Loved that Medjool Date from Jacques plus the superb desserts by the hotel itself. The savoury bites by Arthur Mayne’s (Avocado mousse with prawn, Caprese Bites, and the Chorizo and Chickpea Ragu) were outstanding.

Caprese minis by Olivo

One more stop and soon we were enjoying Margherita time at the newly opened Tequila Jacks. The drinks were eagerly awaited and easily downed. Food too, of course, hot stuff by our hosts and some cooler bits from Olivo, the Italian restaurant at the Cork Airport Hotel.

Margarita?

Tacos Mechados, Roasted Chicken taquitos and Shrimp Rellanos were among the Jacks offerings while the cool bites from Olivo included a lovely mini Caprese and also a Parma wrapped asparagus. 

More food anyone? No! A second round of Margaritas was coming to its conclusion and, suitably fortified,  it was time to brave the rain and the wind that had arrived midway though the trail and traipse back to the Metropole. 

And if you did wanted to increase you oyster headcount, there were trayfuls of opportunity to do. I did see the visiting London couple but didn't get a chance to check her final oyster tally! 

The Prosecco and wine flowed (enjoyed a Rioja blanco, well maybe two!), and then a final chat or two before saying goodbye and heading to the taxi. 

Tasty dips at Tequila Jacks

Once again, well done to Sandra and the crew and here’s to seeing you all and more in 2018!