Last month I wrote about Riegl Palate Gin. Now I’d like to share our visit to one of my favorite gin distilleries plus a cocktail.
We recently traveled to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. When I selected the lovely Lough Erne Resort near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh in southwest Northern Ireland it occurred to me that I should see where Drumshanbo Gin is made. Much to my surprise it was only an hour’s drive from where we were staying – over the border in County Leitrim in the Republic of Ireland. While it was only 36 miles, it contained a 20 mile stretch that was one of the more treacherous roads we encountered on our trip. Ed did a wonderful job avoiding a large truck coming at us from the other direction and we made it safely to The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney.
PJ Rigney is the founder of the Shed Distillery where they produce not only gin but whiskey and vodka too. He’s a veteran of the spirits world having gotten his start in the 1980s. He opened this distillery in 2014 in Drumshanbo as he had fond memories of spending time there as a child.
While Rigney knows his spirits, he also knows marketing. In the last few years, the space opened for tours and meals. We got lucky and had a private tour with Shane C. The tour itself cleverly tells the story of how the spirits are made (in a visually fun and entertaining way) in addition to seeing the actual stills used to produce whiskey, gin and vodka.
Shed Distillery is definitely more well known for producing gin. They currently produce three wonderful gins: Gunpowder Irish Gin (blue bottle), Gunpowder Irish Gin with Sardinian Citrus (green bottle) and Gunpowder Irish Gin with Californian Orange Citrus (orange bottle). Don’t worry, the gin isn’t made with gunpowder, it’s made with gunpowder tea from China which gets its name as it resembles gun powder. Rigney has traveled the world looking for botanicals to flavor this gin.
What they are really focused on is making whisky. Shed Distillery is the first distillery in the Connacht Province of the Republic of Ireland to make whiskey in more than 100 years. Gin can be made in a matter of days – whiskey takes five years or much longer. So while they are mastering their whiskey, they are getting the word out with their gin (brilliant marketing!). We did enjoy a glass of Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey which was released a few years ago. It was tasty but we (really Ed) have a preference for whiskeys that have aged longer than five years and have a deeper flavor profile.
The last stop on the tour was the Honey Badger Bar where we sipped the Drumshanbo Signature Cocktail – Gunpowder Irish Gin with Sardinian Citrus, lemon juice and ginger beer. Bartender Connor F was kind enough to share the recipe (as seen in the photo below). I had to do a bit of conversion from milliliters to ounces but that wasn’t too hard. He used Fentimans Ginger Beer which I can no longer get locally, so I substituted Q Light Ginger Beer. Any good quality ginger beer will work. It’s a refreshing low-alcohol libation.
We had a lovely lunch at the Jackalope Café adjacent to the bar and finished off our visit with a stop at the Curious Gift Shop. For a gin lover, it was heaven. It’s a good thing I hadn’t brought an extra piece of luggage.
Fortunately, you can find all of the Drumshanbo spirits in Pennsylvania (some are special order) and nearby states. We might just have all three gins in our home bar. If you can’t find Gunpowder Irish Gin with Sardinian Citrus, try a good gin that has a citrus profile (many of them do).
If you find yourself in this part of Ireland, please make an effort to visit The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney. It was such a great experience to be where this gin is actually produced.
| Drumshanbo Signature Cocktail | Print |
- 1 ounce Gunpowder Irish Gin with Sardinian Citrus
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (~1 lemon) (see Notes)
- 3 to 4 ounces good quality ginger beer (see Notes)
- Garnish with a ruby red grapefruit wedge
- Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in gin and lemon juice. Stir.
- Top with ginger beer.
- Garnish with a ruby red grapefruit wedge.
* The original recipe was made with Fentimans Ginger Beer. I used Q Light Ginger Beer. Any good quality ginger beer will do.
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