Garnish:
Lemon zest twist
How to make:
STIR first 4 ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass. Dash absinthe into surface of drink and then stroke barspoon once through drink (rather than stir in).
1 1/2 fl oz | The Busker Blended Irish Whiskey |
3/4 fl oz | Rosso/rouge (sweet) vermouth |
3/4 fl oz | Dry vermouth |
2 dash | Boker's bitters |
3 dash | La Fée Parisienne absinthe |
Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

Review:
The original equal parts whiskey and dry vermouth recipe is way too dry, so in time for Saint Patrick's Day 2016, we experimented and concluded that splitting the vermouth proportion evenly between dry and sweet vermouths was the 'perfect' solution, producing an aromatic balanced cocktail with faint hints of anise from the absinthe.
History:
The "Black Thorn" first appears in Harry Johnson's 1900 Bartender's Manual.
BLACK THORN.
Harry Johnson, 1900
(Use a large bar glass.)
3 or 4 dashes of absinthe;
3 or 4 dashes of bitters (Boker's genuine only);
½ wine glass of French Vermouth;
½ wine glass of Irish Whiskey;
Stir up well with a spoon, strain into a medium-sized wine glass and serve.
The "Blackthorn Cocktail" also appears in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.
BLACKTHORN COCKTAIL.
Harry Craddock, 1930
3 Dashes Angostura Bitters.
3 Dashes Absinthe.
½ Irish Whisky.
½ French Vermouth.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Nutrition:
One serving of Blackthorn (Irish) contains 177 calories.
Alcohol content:
- 1.5 standard drinks
- 23.66% alc./vol. (47.32° proof)
- 21.7 grams of pure alcohol
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