Tipperary Cocktail Recipe

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.

Staying true to the Tipperary’s history, we use the following ingredients in our Tipperary cocktail recipe:

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 in two different continents.

• Irish Whiskey from Ireland
• Green Chartreuse from France
• Sweet Red Vermouth from Italy
• Angostura Bitters from Trinidad and Tobago

You don’t need any special bar tools to craft a Tipperary cocktail at home. We use the following basic bar tools in our recipe:

You can improvise if you’re missing any or all of these basic bar tools. However, buying these tools is an inexpensive way to upgrade your home bar.

Discover 10 essential bar tools for home mixologists.

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.

Purchase a Japanese Jigger from Amazon if you don’t have 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.

Purchase a mixing glass from Amazon if you’d like to add one to your mixology repertoire.

The second step is to add two dashes of angostura bitters directly into mixing glass.

Purchase angostura bitters from Amazon if you need a bottle of the versatile cocktail ingredient.

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.

Buy an inexpensive bar spoon from Amazon if you don’t already have one in your home bar.

Immediately strain the cocktail into a glass.

We like to use a small martini glass but a coupe glass would work well too.

After you follow the not-so-long way to Tipperary, you can craft one of the the following similar cocktails if you’re feeling experimental or if you’re missing any of the Tipperary’s ingredients:

Tipperary Cocktail FAQs