Drinking whiskey with dinner might sound like an unlikely marriage, but when the menu is crafted by French chef Olivier Quenet to complement a range of Cooley Distillery Irish single-grain and malt whiskeys, it’s a leap of faith worth taking.
Quenet, of Olivier’s at The Schoolhouse Hotel in Dublin 4, says he enjoyed the challenge of creating the menu in collaboration with Cooley’s John Cashman, and will be serving it as a Fathers’ Day special.
Restaurant manager Martin Meade has devised a champagne, Greenore whiskey, angostura bitters, brown sugar and lemon twist cocktail, the outright winner from a range of whiskey cocktails he worked on with the Cooley whiskeys (below), to get things off to a sparkling start. The tasting menu will feature Carlingford oysters, Dublin Bay prawns, apple granita, Irish Black Angus Châteaubriand and mille feuilles of raspberries with honey mousse, each incorporating a different Cooley whiskey in its execution, and served with yet another one to drink alongside.
It’s clever stuff, and a recent trial run showed just how varied and multi-dimensional these whiskeys are and how well they sit with Quenet’s menu. It will be served at dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 17th-19th, and also for lunch on the Sunday.
The cost for the five courses, accompanying whiskeys, cocktail aperitif and Irish coffee, is a surprisingly reasonable €55. You can book with Mia McCormack at The Schoolhouse on 01-6675014.
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