The Most Irish Drink: An Evening with Maura Clare of Smuggling Nun

Irish whiskey and stout are both renowned, but perhaps the most Irish of all the drinks is poitin, a super-strength clear Irish moonshine. Originally brewed in convents and monasteries some 1500 years ago, poitin later moved to Irish farms, where copper pots (poitin means “small pot”) were used to make the illegal liquor. The best poitin was grain-based. It’s now legal, and known as a trendy new mixer for hipster mixologists—and also as a symbol of Irish determination and defiance. The US brand Smuggling Nun was named after the founder’s cousin, Sister Mary, a Franciscan nun who smuggled poitin through customs in a bottle of holy water. Maura Clare, founder/owner of Smuggling Nun, will join us on St. Patrick’s Day for a lecture on the colorful history of poitin. A poitin-based cocktail will be available in the NAC bar.