THE COCKTAIL GUIDE Sugar, Spice And All Things

The Cocktail Guide

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all creamy pints of Guinness and traditional tunes out wesht. Elegance, class and luxury ooze from the fine establishments lining our city’s streets, drawing us in with the tempting aroma of herbs, spices, fresh fruit and, well, alcohol.

To help you elevate any evening with an expertly created cocktail, we’ve put together a guide to the very best places to savour these splendid mixed drinks. We’ve even included some chats with two of Galway’s finest mixologists and a recipe for one of our very favourite drinks to make at home.

Escape the hectic nature of the city’s streets by ducking into Buddha Bar, where you’ll find a unique blend of Asian and Irish culture throughout their many boozy offerings. Buddha Bar values their customers’ trust in their creativity and mixology methods, aiming to exceed expectations with every visit. Making a public house a public home, the crew are constantly on the top of their game and will whip up just about anything you want. They could well even make one up on the spot - to keep things extra individual. Promoting local, homemade ingredients, there’s an intricate array of offerings behind that counter with plenty of infusions and fat-washed spirits to elevate the flavour of your drink.

According to mixologist Tom Fallon, everyone who enters a bar should have a personalised experience. “I want to make menus a thing of the past. Bring the customers out of reality and let their feelings from the week guide their taste buds on the night”. Tom uses his creativity to give the customer a cocktail unique to their request. You can see from their constantly evolving menu that innovation is of paramount importance.

Tom recommends... Stone’s Throw, which is made up of Micil Poitin, lemon, homemade kiawe, whites, dillisk and red méad float - all of which are sourced just a stone’s throw away

Quiet Night In – Jalapeno infused vodka, homemade ginger, papaya, carrot and turmeric shrub, lime and mango, which is served up in a quirky noodle box!

14 Mary Street // (091) 563 749

Caribou

One of those places that have perfected the basics, Caribou are constantly going that little bit beyond, adding little nuances that make it far more than the sum of its parts. Dedicated to providing the customer with a memorable experience, the team will welcome you with open arms and walk you through their huge selection of craft beers and spirits or the grub on offer. It’s all about creating a comfortable place to share stories, food, drinks and maybe even some smack talk over one of their many board games. The dim candle light and curated music creates that relaxed atmosphere it’s become known for.

With rotational beers flowing on draught, specials mustered up in the kitchen daily and plenty of experimentation in the cocktail bar, there’s always something new to try. Their latest drinks menu includes exciting creations such as Flip The Bird - a jungle bird variation using clarified pineapple milk punch that gives a silky smooth texture in unifying the citrus notes of pineapple and lime while rounding off the intensity of the rum and campari and Coco Cherry Blush, which is an ode to the harvest and foraging, marrying sloe gin, cherry lambic beer with lemon, coconut, mint.

31 Woodquay, Galway // (091) 534 854

Harry’s Bar

Since opening their doors back in 2018, it’s been a whirlwind of success for Harry’s Bar. Best known as one of Galway’s most comfortable sports bars, this place is no one-trick pony. While there are delicious grub and thirstquenching pints aplenty, Harry’s are also renowned for their unique cocktail creations.

Taking their own spin on the classic espresso martini, gin bramble and mojito, the team have gone above and beyond to invent some brand new drinks for every occasion. For the sweet and fruity lovers, test out their mouth watering range of strawberry, raspberry or passion fruit daiquiris - or if you’re feeling more adventurous, give their Kopperberg strawberry & lime gin daiquiri a try.

For the hangover from hell, cure it with an orange Lucozade daiquiri to ease you back into looking at the texts from the night before. Or, go full Eiffel 65 and try their Blue WKD daiquiri. Like Harry says, why be someone’s cup of tea when you could be their cocktail.

Right at the beating heart of Galway’s Westend, Massimo have quite literally got all the ingredients you need for a quality night out. With a late bar Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as DJs, dancing and all the booze you could hope for, this is the spot supplies an atmosphere like no other and their cocktail offerings are next level. Mixing up all the classics alongside some of their very own creations, Gabi Juillet knows exactly how to serve up a mean drink.

“I’ve been working in Massimo for over a year and a half now and being in charge of the cocktail side of things is truly an honour as I have a passion for cocktails. Having created the current menu with a few classic cocktails such as the Espresso Martini and Mojito, it’s great to include my own creations like the Bóithrín - a gin based cocktail with elderflower liqueur, homemade blackberry purée, honey syrup and lemon juice - or the Ruby Tuesday, which consists of tequila blanco, Chambord, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave and

10 William St West // (091) 582 239

Hyde Bar

Well established as one of the most exclusive and opulent venues in the West, Hyde Bar’s stylish interior and stunning array of drinks has made it the place to be on a night out. From bottomless brunch to date nights, it’s one of the most photographed venues in the city, which is in no small part down to their gorgeous cocktails.

From Galway Bae and Baby Got Daq, to the sumptuous Flat White Martini, not only do the cocktails look good but they taste incredible. Make sure to share the love and tag Hyde on Instagram when you’re in for a tipple.

Forster Street // (091) 564 111

JAMESON BLACK BARREL SOUR

As after-dinner cocktails go, the whiskey sour is one of the most famous, and for good reason. By mixing Irish whiskey and lemon juice with egg white and sloe berry bitters, you get a delicious classic cocktail that has really stood the test of time. Plus, with the addition of Jameson Black Barrel, you get the added bonus of enhanced spiciness, vanilla sweetness and sherry fruit in what is already a very tasty cocktail.

INGREDIENTS

50ml of Jameson Black Barrel 25ml of freshly-squeezed lemon juice 15ml of sugar syrup 20ml of egg white Lemon zest for garnish

METHOD

Fill a shaker with ice Add 50ml of Jameson Black Barrel Add 25ml of freshly-squeezed lemon juice Add 15ml of sugar syrup Add 20ml of egg white Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass Garnish with a lemon Zest

This cocktail is available in all our featured cocktail bars for the month of March.