When it comes to entertaining, it’s all about easy, flavoursome treats and simple tipples that impress without the stress. So to help you celebrate in style we asked Dublin-based foodie Ali Dunworth – festival curator and food writer – to create some simple, yet sophisticated, party eats that are perfect for pairing with cocktails.
Her tipple of choice? Slane Irish Whiskey. As Ali explains, the way Slane is made means it’s perfect for food pairing. “Thanks to the triple cask ageing, Slane is an easy-going drink with lots of flavours and aromas to play with. It can taste like a classic Irish whiskey but then you pick up on spice or honey and then a bit of vanilla, so it pairs wonderfully with lots of foods.”
Ali’s sophisticated street food dishes bring out Slane’s complex yet smooth flavour beautifully. “The spiciness along with the sweet tones from the sherry cask means I thought of pairing it with cheese straight away,” she explains. “The baked camembert is a no-brainer and it’s exactly the type of food you want with a glass of whiskey. With the sticky sausages, the flavours – honey, marmalade, mustard – mirror the honey and spice notes of Slane Irish Whiskey well. With the cheese dip, I just love the kick adding the whiskey gives to the unctuous sauce. It makes it feel like a grown-up version of a comfort food dish.”
In terms of your pour, Ali says the recipes tick both straight serve and cocktail boxes.“The sausages and cheese dip are party foods that will go well with any whiskey-based drink, particularly cocktails. The cheese dip delivers a real flavour pop, so anything with a bit of zing will go well with it. While the baked camembert is perfect for sharing over a straight serve of whiskey.”
Whiskey Sticky Marmalade Sausages
This recipe is sticky, sweet and savoury and goes great with a cocktail, as cocktail sausages should. A winner at parties and so easy to prepare.
Ingredients
450g or about 30 cocktail sausages
2 tbsp marmalade
2 tbsp Slane Irish Whiskey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sesame oil
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Preheat your oven to 190c
In a bowl add all of your ingredients except the sesame seeds. Whisk together to combine.
Add your sausages into the bowl and mix to coat. Transfer into a roasting dish.
Put the sausages in your preheated oven. They’ll take 30 minutes in total to cook, but set a timer, so at 10-minute intervals you can give the sausages a stir and toss them around to stop the marinade from sticking and burning and make sure they brown evenly.
Before the final 10 minutes add in the sesame seeds. Sprinkle and stir so they stick evenly to your sausages.
Judge at the end if they need another few minutes for browning and then serve piled high with cocktail sticks.
Whiskey Baked Camembert
This is one of the simplest and most impressive dishes for entertaining, and it goes so well with Slane Whiskey.
You can use any camembert, they are often sold in a wooden box or ceramic dish that can be used to bake them in or alternatively you could wrap the cheese in foil and place it in a shallow oven-proof dish. Feel free to swap out the thyme for any other woody herb you have – rosemary works well too.
Ingredients
1 round of Camembert cheese, about 200-250g
1 clove of garlic
5-6 sprigs of thyme
6-7 pecan nuts
2 tbsp Slane Irish Whiskey
Drizzle of maple syrup
Sliced crusty bread to serve
Method
Preheat your oven to 180c. Peel and thinly slice your clove of garlic. Roughly chop your herbs and nuts and mix them together.
Remove the packaging from your cheese and place it in its baking dish or foil. Using a sharp knife, score into the rind with a criss-cross pattern.
Push the garlic slices into the slits then spoon over the whiskey so it seeps into the cheese.Pile the chopped nuts and herbs on top, drizzle with maple syrup and put the cheese into the oven for about 15 to 20 mins.
The cheese is ready when it’s liquidy in the middle – keep an eye on it though, to avoid overbaking and the cheese drying out. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping in the oozy cheese.
Crispy Potato Skins with Cheesy Whiskey Dipping Sauce
This indulgent dish is my version of a delicious American-style nacho cheese sauce but with a bit of whiskey for a kick. You could use any cheese here, but something sharp works best.
If you don’t have leftover potatoes to use or time to bake and make the skins you could serve the sauce with tortilla chips or crunch vegetables instead, anything that will dip well works. Don’t skip the bacon bits (unless you’re serving vegetarians), they are delicious!
Ingredients
5 large potatoes (about 1kg), washed well
Olive oil 75g bacon lardons or thick cut streaky bacon cut into small cubes
200g grated mature cheddar cheese200ml of evaporated milk
30ml Slane Irish Whiskey
1 tsp cornflour
Pinch salt
Method
Start with your potato skins. Preheat your oven to 200c and prick your potatoes with a fork, once on each side. Put some olive oil in a bowl, coat the potatoes in oil, and then put them on the top rack of your preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, get your bacon bits ready. In a shallow frying pan add some cooking oil, when it’s hot add your bacon bits and cook for a few minutes until crispy. Removed from the oil and drain in some kitchen paper.
Lay them on a flat baking tray and put them in the oven for 10 minutes (you can put them in with the spuds) or until they are really crispy. Remove and leave to cool.
When your potatoes are done (check them with a fork), carefully remove them from the oven and leave them aside until they are cool enough to handle. Then cut each potato in half, lengthways and using a spoon, scoop out the insides taking care to keep the skin intact and leaving a light layer (a few mm) of potato on the skin.
Carefully cut each skin in half lengthways then brush them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and put them on a flat oven tray. Put them back in the oven for 10 minutes, turning them halfway. They should be golden brown and crispy so if you need to add them back in for another minute or so do.
Then it’s time for the cheese sauce. Add your cheese, evaporated milk, whiskey, cornflour and salt into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the cheese is melted and there are no lumps, about 3 to 5 minutes. Keep stirring until the sauce is thickened up to dipping consistency then remove.
Serve the cheesy sauce in a bowl with bacon bits sprinkled on top and the potato skins on the side for dipping.
Recipes: Ali Dunworth. Photography: Dan Jones. Styling: Libby Silbermann.
Slane Irish Whiskey: For the perfect celebration
Forged within the idyllic Boyne Valley, Slane Distillery is built on the grounds of the legendary Slane Castle, an ancient estate where they make extraordinary whiskey and throw legendary gigs. Since the first incredible concert in 1981, Slane Castle has hosted some of the most iconic acts in music history. This year sees the return of the Slane Castle concerts for the first time since 2019.
Slane Irish Whiskey is a blend of malt and grain whiskeys which are matured using a signature triple-casked process that builds a complex and full-flavoured taste profile. Each cask is matured separately and then they are masterfully blended together.
Blending, like music, is about achieving the right balance between these different notes and with these three casks there are plenty of flavours to play with. From the virgin oak cask, there is vanilla and toasted oak, from the seasoned cask, brown sugar and ripe banana, while the oloroso sherry cask delivers dried fruits and spice. All of this comes together in the blend to create a rich, bold Irish whiskey that stands out, even when mixed into a classic cocktail or favourite mixer.
Click here to find out more about Slane Irish whiskey, or order online.
Please drink responsibly.
