YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT farm-to-table, but are you aware of the farm-to-glass phenomenon?
This practice has been a driving force behind the brilliantly inventive cocktail menus produced by Cask, located in Cork city’s Victorian Quarter, since opening in 2017. Inspired by the wealth of ingredients available from local suppliers and foraging for interesting flavours to bring an added dimension to their drinks, Cask consistently impresses patrons with their delicious concoctions.
Andy Ferreira, mixologist and managing partner at Cask, grew up surrounded by food. His parents came to Ireland in the 1970s and ran a restaurant together in Kinsale. Ferreira’s early memories include pressing apples for cider, gathering berries for wine and helping out in the kitchen where he could. This early exposure to sourcing ingredients out in the wild stayed with him and is an integral component of Cask’s ethos.
Flicking through the extensive archive of Cask’s menus through the years, you’ll see anything from eucalyptus to wood sorrel and pumpkin to nettle cordial listed in the cocktails. The dawning of a new season welcomes a brand new selection and curation of drinks available at Cask. Of course, this level of invention and creativity requires time and testing.
Ferreira shares the process involved in developing one of Cask’s menus to The Journal. “It probably takes around 4 to 5 weeks from when we first start brainstorming to getting our hands on the finished printed menu. It’s an incredibly challenging but very rewarding process as each new menu gives us an opportunity to do something completely different; new concept, design and most importantly new cocktails. Our graphic designer Eoin is our secret weapon, he’s a dream to work with.”
Outside of the time frame, there is also the task of creating the right combinations of flavours and ingredients in the cocktails that will intrigue and entice customers’ palettes, as Ferreira notes.
“With any cocktail menu, you want variety and balance; different styles of drink covering all categories of spirits. We have a rule that outside of those spirits and modifiers, every other ingredient has to grow in Ireland. It’s like creating a big boozy jigsaw puzzle. Winter is challenging but in the other nine months, there’s such an abundance of amazing ingredients to play with. There are also many ways to extract flavour which is very exciting to work with.”
Amongst some of the exciting flavours that have featured in Cask’s impressive repertoire of cocktails, there’s one ingredient that has been embraced by customers. “Seaweed drinks have been really popular over the years,” says Ferreira.
“‘Man of Aran’ from Menu 1 is right up there with our best cocktails and was hugely popular. It contained two seaweeds, one of which was smoked and a peated Irish whiskey. Over time, our guests have learnt to trust us and enjoy trying out the different combinations we come up with for our menus.”
As well as being steered by seasonal ingredients, the award-winning team at Cask also look outside of flavours for inspiration. The people and stories of Cork play a significant part in forging the unique character of Cask’s menu.
“There are so many amazing Cork characters and stories and a lot of them have been referenced in our menus over the years. For a small city, it really does punch above its weight! There’s a serious sense of community in the Cork food and drink scene. For our current menu, our twentieth, we collaborated with numerous producers and their passion for what they do is very inspiring. It’s rewarding to incorporate the people into our menu.”
Across Cask’s tenure, the bar has received several awards and accolades. They have been recognised not only for their excellence in producing creative cocktails but have been rewarded for the overall experience they offer, as well. This has always been a priority for Ferreira and his team.
“My favourite part is working with the team to create a unique experience for our guests,” reveals Ferreira. “Every bar is different and has its own priorities of what it wants to be and for us, atmosphere, music and having the craic with customers has always been more important than using a specific foraged ingredient in a cocktail. Of course, the food and drink are vital, but they’re not as important as the energy you can create through everyone being on the same page.”
We asked Andy Ferreira where he likes to unwind in the times when he’s not ensuring Cask’s customers are enjoying their night out.
Down the Local: “My favourite pub for a quiet solo pint or weekend gatherings with friends would have to be Poc Ar Buile or “Ballin’” as we call it!”
Dream Night Out: “Pints of Beamish in The Corner House and then head for a delicious dinner at The Glass Curtain followed by a gig in St. Lukes.”
Morning off Ritual: “We live in East Cork and are fortunate to be close to some wonderful beaches and woods. Bringing the dogs for a walk on Ballybrannigan Beach means we get to have a coffee in Niamh’s Larder overlooking the sea while we enjoy the beautiful view.”
Hidden Gem: “Inch Hideaway is Cork’s best-kept secret. It’s an eco-camp site close to Inch beach in East Cork and home to probably the best pizza in Ireland.”
Weekend Getaway: “Galway is a firm favourite for our family. We’ve already got tickets for Fat Freddy’s Drop at the Galway International Arts Festival this summer and I can’t wait. When we’re there, dinner in Kai is a must followed by pints in Caribou.”
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