Poitín

Poitín is an Irish spirit that is believed to be the predecessor of all distilled beverages in Ireland. Often dubbed as Irish moonshine, the spirit was traditionally distilled from malted grains, usually barley, wheat, oats, or rye, but through history, many other base ingredients were used such as beets or sugar, and in the 19th century many farmers distilled poitín from potatoes.

However, the best versions are mostly made from grains. Poitín is a clear and potent spirit that may display a wide array of aromas, but it is always has a long-lasting, warming, and subtly spicy finish. Monks were the first who distilled the spirit, sometime in the 6th century, and the production was mostly done in small pot stills named pota.

The drink was outlawed in the 1660s because the distilled spirit would sometime reach the shocking 95% ABV and because the government found it difficult to control the production and tax the drink. However, many continued with illegal production, but it was not until 1989 that production for export was officially allowed, and in 1997 the sales were made possible in the Republic of Ireland.

Poitín has been awarded the geographical indication (GI) certificate by the European Union. It is recommended to enjoy poitín neat or on the rocks, but it also incorporates well into cocktails and long drinks.