Traditional Beverages

Irish traditional beverages include alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

The most popular alcoholic drinks are beer and whiskey but Irish coffee, Irish Mist, Irish cream, poitin and cider are very well known too.

Irish cream is a cream liqueur made from Irish whiskey and cream, while Irish Mist is another liqueur made from aged Irish whiskey, heather and clover honey, aromatic herbs and other spirits. The recipe is very ancient and dates back to 1000 years ago.

Cider also is a very old Irish drink in fact it is thought the art of cider-making in Ireland arrived with the advent of the Vikings.

Poitin or poteen, which means "little pot still", is an alcoholic spirit traditionally distilled from malted barley, grain or potatoes. It is also known as holy water, mountain dew or water of life.

The list of non-alcoholic drinks includes Cavan Cola, McDaid's Football Special, Cidona, Tanora and Club Orange, but the most common and popular Irish drink is tea.

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