The world’s first poitín bar is staging a pop-up in Cork (for one night only)

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This’ll make Hump Day a bit more exciting.
The Dublin cocktail slingers of BAR 1661, the world’s first poitín bar, are making a trip Leeside for a unique boozy pop-up in Cork.
Set a reminder: It’s all happening at Cask on MacCurtain Street, kicking off at 7pm on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020, when the winners of Ireland’s Best Cocktail Bar 2019 will be mixing up a storm behind the bar.
Just like Cask, the BAR 1661 crew are big fans of Irish producers, regularly using ingredients such as Killahora Ice Wine, Achill salt and Kinsale Mead Co. mead in their creative cocktails.
Poitín (pronounced potch-een by the way) is one of the world’s oldest spirits – first distilled in the 6th Century, banned in 1661 by the British Crown and legalised again in 1997.
Interestingly, Ireland’s native spirit is now protected by Geographic Indicative Status, just like Champagne in France. BAR 1661 is the flagship for poitín, even creating their very own bottle Bán Poitín, a heady mix of potato, malted barley, and sugar beet.
Posting news of the event on Instagram, Cask revealed: “Since opening in Dublin last year BAR 1661 has taken the world by storm and swept the floor at the Irish Craft Cocktail Awards last month. As Ireland and the world’s first poitín bar it has the honour and responsibility of representing a whole category.”
“Like Cask they’re obsessive in their support of Irish products and produce. Owner Dave Mulligan has put together a phenomenal team and we’ve been naive enough to give them the keys to our bar for one night only.”
Word to the wise: You might want to book the morning off on Thursday.