Introducing Cocktail Club with world-class mixologist Cal Byrne

We ask an Irish mixologist to share his favourite cocktails to impress guests when hosting this Christmas.

The magic of Christmas is creeping up all around us, as festive lights illuminate the town, cosy jumpers and party wear adorn storefront windows and plans to host family and friends with festive cocktails and canapés move to the forefront of our minds.

This year has felt busier than ever and most of us are truly looking forward to the holiday season, time to step back from work and jam-packed schedules to let our hair down and spend time with our nearest and dearest. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Diageo to launch an exciting new cocktail series.

Led by world-class Irish mixologist and Diageo Head of Advocacy Cal Byrne, the series will feature a tasty array of six cocktails, each offering a fresh take on Christmas classics – from a tequila negroni with chocolatey notes to a sour raspberry gin martini – yum!

With Cal’s expert advice on all things hosting, you’ll be set to throw a holiday soirée that will not only promise premium refreshments but will impress your guests with the most talked-about gathering of the season.

The man behind the glass

A bit of a legend in the drinks industry, Cal Byrne is the only Irish person to reach the top ten in the global World Class cocktail competition – so it’s safe to say we can trust his cocktail advice.

“For those who don’t know about World Class, it is essentially the Olympics of bartending,” Cal explains. “It stretches over nine months of the year, competing first in national rounds, then a massive global final where you compete against 50+ other countries to be crowned best bartender in the world. The finals have multiple challenges across different styles of spirits all leading to a big finale challenge where the top 10 highest-scoring competitors duke it out for the crown. I was lucky to make it to the top ten and even to win a global challenge, the only Irish person to achieve either of these things.”

Originally from Galway, Cal comes from a family of creatives, so it was no surprise when found his way to mixology. His background was in art; he attended fine art college while running club nights and the occasional rave during Dublin’s 2010+ nightlife golden age. But it wasn’t until he got his first bartending job that he found his niche.

“I ended up getting a job in House Dublin where I first saw bartending as an art form. One of the management team was competing in the World Class cocktail competition and I watched her prep tirelessly. The attention to detail about all the ingredients, the pairings, where they were sourced – I was hooked! There was so much work to create an experience for a customer, in such a fundamental and rooted sense such as taste. It blew my mind.”

Cal eventually left college to pursue his newfound passion, co-opening two staple bars in Limerick along the way – Pharmacia and 101 Bar. “After that, my partner and I went travelling for a year, before landing back in Dublin at the Blind Pig Speakeasy,” Cal adds. “There, I honed my craft as a high-level drinks maker, learning history and technique.”

With substantial experience under his belt, Cal decided to go for the World Class competition and made history in the process. Now, he is at the helm of creativity in the drinks world as Diageo’s Head of Advocacy. “I run the Irish leg of World Class alongside my team of brand ambassadors. Our job is to educate and inspire the Irish trade and show them what they can achieve as a career bartender.”

Party cocktails, nibbles and attire

When asked to share his favourite tipple to make for party guests, Cal says you can’t go wrong with a holiday punch.

“My go-to for home cocktails, especially for a group and to impress, will always be a punch. Punch is such a malleable, easy and fun way to create a centrepiece for your party with minimal mess and effort! Once you have the base structure you can modify it to your taste.

“A favourite pairing for me is a sweet vermouth (fortified red wine) heavy punch paired with charcuterie. You can’t beat good meats and cheeses with something vibrant and red in a glass. There are great online sources for recipes and info like the aptly named punchdrink.com and diffordsguide.com that will help you create your perfect punch.”

In our upcoming Cocktail Club series, Cal will share more of his favourite cocktails, and in true creative fashion, he has paired each scintillating recipe with an ultra-cool outfit to match.

“I think the idea to do this ties back to an approach I’ve had since making drinks in World Class,” Cal explains. “I want people to see what we do as much of an art form as fashion or cooking. A bartender can be just as invested in their menu creation and design as a chef and I think this is very much my manifesto of sorts.

“Drinks evoke a feeling of space and give a vibe. So I wanted the viewer to see and feel that through this series. For example, a martini is classy and elegant and when you drink one that’s how you feel!”

Stay tuned for our upcoming series in partnership with Diageo – Cocktail Club – for much more of Cal and his top-tier recipes and fashion inspiration to come. Visit diageo.com to learn more about their premium brands.