SHAKEN OR STIRRED? However you prefer your cocktail of choice, Dublin’s BAR 1661 – tucked away on Green St – has become the go-to spot for thirst-quenching and tasty alcoholic beverages.
Opened in April 2019 BAR 1661 offers an impressive menu of cocktails such as the Guinness-infused Black Gate or the refreshing and indulgent Seven Seeds which combines pineapple rum, passion fruit and white chocolate. The range of BAR 1661’s of ingredients used across their award-winning cocktails is extensive. One ingredient, however, that plays a significant part in their cocktails is perhaps one you may not expect, as BAR 1661’s General Manager, Will Lynch reveals to Journal.ie.
“When planning, BAR 1661 there was an undeniable eagerness to become one of Ireland’s top cocktail bars as well as the lighthouse venue for poitín globally. We do this by championing our national spirit while showcasing it in a contemporary manner. Poitín is the backbone to who we are and our mission is to introduce the world to it through world-class cocktails and service.”
Amongst the cocktails available on their menu that feature poitín as a flavour profile in their signature drinks are Kelly Green, comprised of Mulroy Bay poitín, eucalyptus, peppermint, aloe vera, lime, rum, Cocalero and CO2. Perhaps the Flat Iron would be more to your taste as it melds Ban poitín, sweet vermouth, bitter, strawberry wine and pine needles.
How have customers received poitín given the many preconceptions we have about the once-illegal drink. Lynch says, “We’ve been working with poitín for over a decade and there’s not much we haven’t done with it. We start off every table with a welcome drink, usually a punch made from poitín to really set the tone. It’s our job to convert people and change any preconceived ideas they may have. People have been surprised by how much they enjoy it.”
Aside from facilitating a space for customers to try new flavours and ingredients in their cocktails, the staff at BAR 1661 have just as much fun when it comes to developing their unique recipes.
“Creating new cocktail recipes is a lengthy process, that’s for sure,” says Lynch. “We recently doubled the size of our standard menu and moved to a year-long format, rather than the previous seasonal approach. It always starts with a brief. We’re obsessed with understanding the why behind the drinks before working with any liquids. For drinks, we’ll start out with a style guide to make sure we are providing cocktails for every palate. As our team all have their own styles it’s up to our Beverage Director Ivana Maresic to delegate drinks to different bartenders. She is one of the best palates in the business and has an unrivalled understanding of flavour. It must be said, we’re really lucky working with poitín in that we’re the only ones doing it with such focus at this level. Every day is a challenge and every poitín works differently.”
With our night-life and weekend routines back to normal post-pandemic, BAR 1661 has quickly come to be the go-to spot for cocktail connoisseurs. Throughout the lockdowns, people took up a variety of new hobbies from baking banana bread, taking up running and, in the evenings turning their hands to cocktail making at home. For those who have continued to embrace their inner bartender, Lynch has the following advice for elevating their DIY cocktails at home.
“My advice would be not to overcomplicate it. Plan out what you want to make and how much of it. Much like cooking, its practice makes perfect and taste as you go. If all else fails, we have our sister company in Craft Cocktails that can sort you out and we’ve just launched a new canned poitín RTD – Little & Green – named after our address here in Dublin 7 at the intersection of Green Street and Little Britain Street!”
As for Will Lynch’s favourite cocktail? Well, it’s one from BAR 1661, of course. He describes was makes a perfect cocktail: “Cocktails are all about balance and for me there are not many better examples than The Belfast Coffee at BAR 1661. It’s a great example of taking a classic template, the Irish Coffee and adapting it to create a new modern classic. Made with our house poitín Bán (instead of whiskey), we then swap out the hot coffee for cold brew – the slower extraction method pulls out fruitier, less acidic notes, stirred with a touch of demerara sugar and then topped off with double cream and nutmeg, just like the classic. We’ve seen this drink popping up all over the world, a testament to the new age of poitín.”
We asked Will Lynch how (and where) he likes to spend his time away from the bar. Here’s his perfect Night Out, Night Off.
Down the Local: “I’m a cocktail lover and before coming to work at BAR 1661, it was my local. The Big Romance would be a regular spot for me that’s close to home and they also knock out a great Belfast Coffee.”
Dream Night Out: “It’s not often I’d get a weekend night off but when I do, I love bringing my wife Cíara out. Two of our favourite restaurants are Mr. Fox and Variety Jones. For something casual we’d head to Krewe, Nomo Ramen or grab a slice of pizza from Bambino.
For drinks, we love checking out other cocktail bars in the city to see what other bars are working on. Three Storey and Sidecar at The Westbury would be two other bars, along with ourselves, that are helping to drive the cocktail scene not only here in Dublin, but in Ireland.”
Morning off Ritual: “I like to keep active on my days off, playing football weekly with Bartenders FC – an industry focussed club I set up in 2018 for hospitality professionals to meet up, stay active and network. We’ve grown since forming clubs in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
Hidden Gem: “Café Lisboa on Mary Street opened recently. Their pastel de natas are unbelievable and they look after the BAR 1661 and Craft Cocktails team every day.”
Weekend Getaway: “Galway is one of our favourite weekend breaks. For coffee head to Éan, visit Galway City Distillery (a venue I helped to set up) to make your own bottle of spirit or taste some of the best cocktails made using locally sourced botanicals and flavours. Walk out to Salthill for an ice cream and for dinner, a must is Kai – one of the best restaurants I’ve ever dined in. Late night in Galway is great for trad music and craic, Taaffes and Tigh Neachtain being two of the best for pints of the black stuff.”
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