Irish Maid cocktail recipe

The Irish Maid is a variation of the Kentucky Maid, which was created by bartender Sam Ross at New York’s acclaimed Milk & Honey. Born in the mid-2000s, the Kentucky version is considered a classic contemporary cocktail and was part of the boom that led to our modern cocktail culture. The original recipe calls for bourbon, lime juice, syrup, mint and cucumber; swap the bourbon for gin and you get an Old Maid, swap the bourbon for Irish whiskey and you get this – the Irish Maid.

As far as cocktails go, the Irish Maid is as refreshing as it gets. It’s springtime personified, with the elderflower bringing fresh, floral notes to the glass. Irish whiskey is generally distilled three times, meaning flavours will be relatively mellow and smooth, as opposed to a smoky Scotch or the bite of rye whiskey. The sugar syrup provides a nice counter to the acidity of the lemon juice, giving the Irish Maid an almost sweet 'n' sour character. Our recommendation? Drink one on the porch in the afternoon sun, or between tennis sets, or while mowing the lawn or flying a kite – you get the idea.

If you have some extra time up your sleeve and want to take the refreshment stakes to another level, try adding peeled cucumber slices at the start and muddling them in the shaker. Muddling, which is basically a less aggressive way of mashing, will release the cucumber's juice and add another dimension to the Irish Maid cocktail. Just be sure to muddle the slices first, then add the Irish whiskey, lemon juice, elderflower cordial, sugar syrup and ice. Shake it up, pour it out and see what you think – whichever way you go, it’s going to be delicious.