Beár Bia Podcast Hits West Cork

With the Yuletide season now in full swing, this is the time of year in Ireland when we like to indulge a little. A mid-morning mince pie, a cheeky Christmas sambo or maybe even a wee drop or two of an Irish cream liqueur. Such are the treats we gift ourselves during the festive period. This is what inspired us to reach out to the good folk from Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur as enjoying their fine product at the end of a Christmas dinner is a tradition that we should all get behind! When we asked one of the brand's founders, Johnny Hart where we should record the episode, he insisted we head on down to the brand's number 1 account in Ireland, Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa. So a trip to West Cork was made!

We were warmly greeted by Incydoney's owner Des O'Dowd and it quickly became apparent to us why they sell more Five Farms here than anywhere else in the country. Every adult guest that checks into the hotel, the very first thing they receive is a small chilled glass of complimentary Five Farms. Des explained that this is a custom that he firmly believes in as it expresses the hotel's hospitality and their commitment to engaging with other local businesses. He then kindly shared details about Inchydoney's history, their deep appreciation for all the West Cork food & drink suppliers they're so blessed to work with and how local attractions such as the surf school help to bring visitors there all year round.

Co-founder of Five Farms, Johnny Hart then took the microphone to tell us all about their origin story. With a strong background in the drinks industry, when he set about establishing the brand, his intention was to create the best Irish cream liqueur he possibly could and to make it farm to table. His research ultimately led him to West Cork where he says the land and sea air collectively lend themselves to make the best dairy on the planet. Johnny then spoke deeply about his choice of spirit for the liqueur and the amazing bottle they have which he wanted to evoke authentic Irish rural life.

For our first pairing, we sampled a chilled Five Farms neat serve. It's silky texture and use of pot still Irish whiskey, gives it a long sweet finish - easy to see why so many drinks professionals and media call it the best on the market. Chef Alan at Incydoney took the Five Farms itself and used it to make a Pannacotta. This is exactly the kind of Irish cream liqueur and dessert paring that any restaurant in Ireland could do. Simple and elegant execution but with the finest of ingredients that merge together to make the perfect ending to a meal.

Our second pairing saw us delve into a twist on a classic cocktail, the house created Five Farms Espresso Martini. The strong coffee is a wonderful balance to the sweet and decadent liqueur. A beautiful way to introduce an Irish flavour to an internationally loved cocktail. It was served alongside a Hazelnut and Mocha Bavarois: made with Mocha Sponge, Milk Chocolate Bavarois, Whipped Hazelnut Ganache, Caramelized

Hazelnuts and Honeycomb Tuille. A true celebration of West Cork dairy in every bite, this was a slice of local luxury and the cocktail was a sublime counterpart to it.

Irish cream liqueurs and desserts just go so well with each other. Throughout the episode we stress how great it would be for more Irish bars, restaurants and hotels to replicate pairings like what we so thoroughly enjoyed in Inchydoney.

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For the latest episode of the Beár Bia podcast, we hit the road for Sligo City to spend some quality time in the company of a master whiskey blender, a legendary brewer, a local oyster producer and a publican par excellence!

It all took place in the cosy surroundings of Hargadon's, a traditional gastropub and bottle shop. Co-owner Morgan Kerins was there to greet us and talked us through its great history as well as all the many elements that make this pub one of the finest in the country. They include how they source so much of their award-winning food from their own locality and how they grow their own microgreens in a nearby polytunnel.

We then set about enjoying some Sligo Oyster Experience oysters that had just been picked by co-owner Aisling Kelly's team. Served as is (but with an optional splash of Scarlet for Yer Ma, the Dublin hot sauce!), they were imbued with a soft sweetness and a slight hint of minerality that Aisling tells us comes from the Garavogue river that washes out onto the seabed.

Quite fitting that the oysters would then be paired with the inaugural Garavogue 20-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey. This is the first release from Sazerac's newly rebranded distillery on the shores of Lough Gill. It was crafted by Ireland's first female master blender, Helen Mulholland, who was very kindly there to tell us all about its intricacies. It's a double-distilled beauty aged in a complex mix of casks – including French Muscat, French Sauternes, Spanish Pedro Ximénez Sherry and Barbadian Rum. Every sip brought on another rich, intense flavour, brightly displaying Helen's decades of experience.

To be able to enjoy this supremely well-made whiskey with oysters picked within the same locality of the distillery was a remarkable experience. And one that can be very easily replicated by simply swinging by Hargadon's in Sligo on any given day...

Not that it was our intention, but this episode could easily have been themed around "Surf & Turf" as we went from shellfish to beef carpaccio for our second pairing of the day. Thinly sliced Sligo beef fillet, sourced just around the corner from Clarke's Butchers, was dressed with Hargadon's own microgreens as well as Parmesan cheese shavings and truffle oil. The 28 days of ageing gave the beef the softest texture along with a warm umami pungency.

For its accompaniment, Bob Coggins from The White Hag Brewery was on hand with some of his Red IPA. Established in 2013 by Bob and his partners, The White Hag team not only have a world-class range of internationally distributed beers, but their taproom and annual "Hagstravganza" summer festival are both huge attractions. There was a sour sweetness to the beer that provided the perfect counterbalance to the beef; the sharp umami of the meat lingered in the background while the malt and hops of the beer worked their magic.

Tune into what is a fantastic (slightly long!) episode that relishes the bounty Sligo has to offer.

The Beár Bia podcast is available across all platforms, including here on Spotify.

On Thursday, October 16th, the Beár Bia podcast hosted its first live and ticketed recording event. It took place at The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, down in County Leitrim. It was a celebration of the modern, iconic Irish brand, Gunpowder Gin, with its wonderfully complex range of international and local botanicals. The gin's inspired mix of spice and citrus notes lends itself remarkably well to food pairings, and both the food and Gunpowder gin cocktails on the night were all delicious.

With a nod to some of the Chinese tea and Asian fruits that Gunpowder gin is named after, Oisin Davis, the Beár Bia co-host, mixed up a big bowl of punch to welcome everyone. It featured the Gunpowder gin, lychee, Jasmine tea, extra dry Martini, and lime. Founder of The Shed Distillery and Gunpowder gin Pat Rigney then took all the guests on a very special backstage tour of the production and distilling space, allowing everyone to get a deeper understanding of how his team craft their spirits.

After everyone was seated, two small plates and their cocktail pairings were shared. The first was a Ward’s Donegal crab dish that came with a celeriac remoulade, crushed avocado, and herb mayo. All of it was made by the distillery’s head chef, Dave Fitzgibbon, who also told us about the father and son team from Ward's who hand fish the crab we enjoyed. Cian Wrynne, Gunpowder's on premise manager then served up a cocktail made to pair with the crab - an Atlantic Citrus Gimlet. He mixed it with Gunpowder Irish Gin, Gunpowder Sardinian Citrus Gin, seaweed, lime cordial and fresh fennel and dill oil. It was an exceptional combo and as Dee Laffan, co-host of Beár Bia, remarked, "The freshness of the crab, avocado and dill is fantastic with this gimlet cocktail. The lime, fennel and dill in the cocktail all complement the food so well. This pairing is such a delight to eat and drink. So fresh."

The multiple award-winning Thornhill duck leg bonbon was the second dish of the night and was served alongside pureed fig and parsnip. This was a real delight - crispy, unctuous and enriched with Autumnal flavours.

Cian's Orchard Highball cocktail that he made to pair with it, was the perfect accompaniment.

It was mixed with Gunpowder Fig & Laurel, Killahora Apple Ice Wine, fig syrup and Poacher’s Ginger Ale. Oisin Davis had lots to say about this pairing, "This was my first time sampling the fig & laurel Gunpowder gin and it really has such an earthy tone to it. Brilliant to see it mixed with seasonal orchard flavours and even better when paired with the duck, which Dave cooked perfectly confit style."

With a Gunpowder gin chocolate truffle to finish off the event, this was a lovely sweet ending.

Huge thanks to all the guests who came along and to Dave and Cian from the distillery who proved that Irish gin and Irish food pairings are an absolute joy irregardless of the food comes from the sea or the land.

thesheddistillery.com