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Cocktail History
The Dubliner is a modern cocktail that was created in the 1990s by Gary “Gaz” Regan in New York City, New York. It’s a simple variation of Manhattan that was first made as an ode to Irish pubs. It uses the classic’s whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters template, but it calls for Irish whiskey in lieu of rye, adds a citrusy punch via orange curaçao and citrus bitters, and dons a festive green cherry as its garnish.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Irish Whiskey: This is a type of whiskey made in Ireland made with unmalted or malted barley, cereal grains, spices, and water. We used Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey because it has a rich, warming taste. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the Irish whiskey.
Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth because it’s a high quality vermouth with dark notes of herbs, figs, licorice, cinnamon, and cocoa. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth.
Orange Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, and brandy or rum. We used Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge because it has a rich Cognac base with notes of bitter orange, hazelnut, and toffee. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Triple Sec Syrup in place of the orange liqueur.
Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Orange Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the orange bitters.
Green Cherry: This is a fruit that has been soaked in rich syrup and dyed green.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. We used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Julep Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is stirred. We used the A Bar Above Julep Strainer.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Dubliner features the aromas of sweet orange and malty whiskey, has a spirit-forward but relatively sweet taste made up of orange notes on the forefront and vermouth’s darker flavors on the back, and finishes with a strong whiskey note along with a lighter orange flavor.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: As much respect as we both give to the classic Manhattan, quite frankly neither of us is very fond of drinking them, but this version changes that altogether. We both found ourselves to be pretty big fans of the twists presented here.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This Manhattan-like cocktail takes many great parts of its inspiration and amps them up with slightly different flavors. The Irish whiskey brings a different mood to the recipe than typical bourbon or rye would, with less sweetness than the former and less spice than the latter; instead, it makes a fairly malty drink, which works well with the other ingredients. Splitting the sweetener between quality vermouth and citrus gives a great hint of orange to the final product, accentuated further by the bitters. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am not the biggest fan of the original Manhattan, and I think I would definitely take this drink over that again most days.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a classic Manhattan, so it was fun revisiting the template with this Irish-inspired version. Its mix of ingredients is fairly simple, which means its taste is also fairly straightforward, in my opinion. It’s a nicely balanced whiskey drink that’s made even more palatable than the original by splitting the orange brandy liqueur and sweet vermouth. If you already enjoy whiskey classics, you’ll probably like this quite a bit too.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Liquor.com, an online beverage publication.
Add whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange curaçao, bitters, and cubed ice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with green cherry.
Ingredients
Directions
Add whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange curaçao, bitters, and cubed ice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with green cherry.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the Irish whiskey, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth, Monin Premium Triple Sec Syrup in place of the orange liqueur, and All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Whiskey Cocktails
If you like this whiskey-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Drunken Leprechaun: A whiskey cocktail made with orange juice, blue curaçao, Green Chartreuse, an orange wedge, and a cherry
Falling Leaves: A rye cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, toasted fig syrup, chocolate bitters, and an orange slice
Pot of Gold: A whiskey cocktail made with honey ginger syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and gold flakes
Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel
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