When we first tried the Four Leaf Clover, the initial result was surprising to my fiancée. It was a great reminder that everyone’s palate is different, and so we made some tweaks by increasing the Irish whiskey to help it stand out. The result was something surprisingly creamy and (after tasting them side by side), equally tasty in its own right. The end is a complimentary pair of cocktails, with Clover Picking being the boozier, but surprisingly gentler cousin.
Clover Picking
Clover Picking is smooth, sweet, mellow, creamy, and lively. The drink starts off with notes of lemon, apples, spicy ginger, and herbs. The lively nature of the drink gives touches of caramel and floral notes. The slightly creamy mouthfeel is enticing and begs another sip. The finish lingers lengthily, and continues to deliver notes of the whiskey, ginger, and herbs.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
Clover Picking is designed as an easy going extension of our Four Leaf Clover. The riff is designed to help give the Irish Whiskey a more prominent place in the cocktail. The extra body ends up providing a lift to the amount of texture as well, giving a slight creaminess to the drink.
- Knappogue Castle 12 Year Irish Whiskey – Is elegant and provides a great base for this cocktail. The green apple and caramel notes work particularly well here. If you can’t find it, we found the Dubliner is a nice option as a substitute.
- Green Chartreuse – Green Chartreuse is a 400 year old formula of apline herbs and secret ingredients. The result is a unique liqueur that’s critical to a wide variety of cocktails, and one we have a hard time recommending a substitute for. While it is expensive, we recommend the investment.
- Stirring’s Ginger Liqueur – Stirring’s is a spicy and ginger forward liqueur. We enjoy it for it’s price point, but feel free to substitute another ginger liqueur if you can’t find it.
- Lemon Juice – As always, we highly recommend using fresh squeezed lemon juice for best results.