Tipperary: Classic Cocktail with Irish Spirit
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It may be a ‘long way to Tipperary’, but the journey to craft a Tipperary cocktail is short and sweet. Follow this easy Tipperary cocktail recipe and start sipping the potent classic cocktail in mere minutes.
A Tipperary is likely not on the tip of your tongue when you order a stiff cocktail at your local watering hole. But maybe it should be.
Older than a century, this classic pre-Prohibition cocktail has withstood the test of time. And equally important to cocktail enthusiasts, it’s an international drink with an Irish heartbeat. Irish whiskey is its primary ingredient.
Outside of its Irish spirit core, liquor additions of sweet red vermouth and Angostura bitters add elements similar to a Manhattan. The addition of green chartreuse adds herbaceous flavors and makes the Tipperary unique.
Discover more pre-Prohibition cocktails.
What Is a Tipperary Cocktail?
Many people have never heard of the Tipperary cocktail.
Despite its status as an official IBA (International Bartenders Association) cocktail, the Tipperary doesn’t appear on many modern cocktail lists. In fact, most people discover the classic cocktail while hunting for sophisticated sippers crafted with Irish whiskey. At least that’s how we discovered the Tipperary.
While researching the cocktail, we couldn’t stop humming the British marching song It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and singing the following lyrics again and again and again:
It’s a long way to Tipperary,
It’s a long way to go.
It’s a long way to Tipperary,
To the sweetest girl I know!
Tipperary Cocktail History
Our wee bit of research revealed that the Tipperary wasn’t actually invented in Dublin or another Irish city. Rather, its roots are across the pond in a New York City bar. However, we like to think that the original bartender was inspired by County Tipperary or at least the song that’s next to impossible to stop humming.
Check out Recipes for Mixed Drinks and ABC of Mixing Cocktails on Amazon if you want to follow early versions of the Tipperary cocktail recipe.
Ingredients
Staying true to the Tipperary’s history, we use the following ingredients in our Tipperary cocktail recipe:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
Despite its reputation as an Irish cocktail, the Tipperary recipe is more international than its name implies. The classic cocktail’s liquors hail from four countries on two different continents.
- Irish Whiskey from Ireland
- Green Chartreuse from France
- Sweet Red Vermouth from Italy
- Angostura Bitters from Trinidad and Tobago
How to Craft a Tipperary Cocktail
The first step is to measure the Irish whiskey, sweet red vermouth and green chartreuse. We use a Japanese Jigger in this and other cocktail recipes to avoid spillage and ensure accurate measurements.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
You’ll want to pour each liquor directly into a mixing glass. You can use a large cup or shaker if you don’t have a mixing glass.
The second step is to add two dashes of Angostura bitters directly into the mixing glass.
Next, add a handful of ice and stir until the liquids are thoroughly mixed and chilled.
We use a bar spoon to stir this and other cocktails.
Immediately strain the cocktail into a glass.
We like to use a small martini glass, but a coupe glass would work well too.
The final step is to express the glass with orange peel and garnish with an orange twist.
Your Tipperary crafting journey is now complete. Hooray!
Variations
After you follow the not-so-long way to Tipperary, you can craft one of the following similar cocktails if you’re feeling experimental or if you’re missing any of the Tipperary’s ingredients:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Tipperary Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce vermouth (sweet red)
- ½ ounce chartreuse (green)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 orange peel (garnish)
- ice cubes (for mixing)
Instructions
- Pour Irish whiskey, green chartreuse and sweet red vermouth into a mixing glass.
- Add dashes of Angostura bitters.
- Add a handful of ice cubes and stir until the liquids are mixed and chilled.
- Strain into a glass of your choice.
- Express the glass with orange peel.
- Garnish with an orange twist.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
The Tipperary is a boozy cocktail crafted with four different liquors: Irish Whiskey, Green Chartreuse, Sweet Red Vermouth and Angostura Bitters.
Despite its name, the Tipperary cocktail was invented in New York City.
Irish Whiskey, Green Chartreuse, Sweet Red Vermouth, Angostura Bitters, Ice (for stirring) and an Orange Twist (garnish)
Using Irish whiskey is the way to go when crafting a Tipperary cocktail. We like to use Jameson Irish Whiskey but you can use your favorite bottle.
The Tipperary is stirred, not shaken.
We use a small martini class when we craft this cocktail, but you could use a coupe glass instead.
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