It's 5 o'clock somewhere! After a long week of workin' for a livin' (and takin' what they're givin'), I love to relax with a Friday Night, my two-ingredient cocktail made with a unique Irish liqueur called Shanky's Whip.
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We all have a our favorite Friday night wind-downs: drinks, snacks, routines that help us shake the work week off our shoulders and set the tone for a fun weekend.
For me, my ideal Friday night wind-down is my cocktail creation that I call a Friday Night!
This simple drink is made with two liqueurs, including an sweet, caramel-flavored Irish spirit called Shanky's Whip. Here's how to make my favorite end-of-the-week cocktail.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A cocktail that blends the rich, dark caramel notes of Shanky's Whip Irish liqueur with nutty peanut butter whiskey.
- You'll love this part: It's my favorite, easy-to-make drink, one that helps shake off a draining week to settle into a relaxing weekend.
- How it's made: Simply blend two liqueurs together, and serve over ice.
Jump to:
What's is Shanky's Whip?
This inky black spirit will surprise you! Shanky's Whip is a sweet Irish liqueur that's fairly young by industry standards, debuting just a few years ago in 2021. It's a fun brand with an illustrated, harness racing emu for a mascot. The spirit is bottled in Cavan, Ireland, located about 70 miles northwest of Dublin and near the border with Northern Ireland.
Shanky's is a whiskey liqueur with a dark sweetness, with flavors of deep caramel and hints of vanilla. Sometimes I catch a hint of coffee flavor as well. The sweetness makes it really versatile, whether you want to simply sip it over ice or create Shanky's Whip cocktails blended with other liqueurs and mixers. Its alcohol content is close to that of Baileys Irish Cream.
I first learned of Shanky's from my sister Melissa, the mixologist who founded the Instagram account Tipples and Tails, dedicated to fun cocktail recipes and spirits from small-batch distilleries.
She read about this new, unusual spirit called Shanky's Whip back in 2022, but couldn't find it locally. As it turned out, our mom and I were getting ready to take a trip to Ireland, so she asked us to look for some Shanky's there.
I can't remember how many liquor shops we checked on drive throughout the country, but it was a lot! In Kinsale, we chatted with one off-license owner who'd never heard of Shanky's. (Hopefully he has by now!) He gave us the name of a Dublin spirits merchant and suggested we stop by there; unfortunately our remaining time on the trip didn't allow for jaunt into the city.
Feeling like we were about to let my sister down big time, mom hopped online and found that Dublin merchant's website. She ordered some Shanky's to be shipped from Ireland to my sister in southern Vermont as a surprise.
[Here's the funny part.] About a week after we returned home from Ireland, I strolled into our local 802 Spirits liquor store in northern Vermont—and there it was. Shanky's Whip, sitting right there on the shelf! (Wah-wah-waaaah.)
Today I see the liqueur stocked in just about every liquor store I stop in. Shanky's website says it's now sold in all 50 states, so no need for a special trip to the Emerald Isle!
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Why you'll love my Friday Night cocktail
One reason that I'm certain you'll love this Friday Night drink is because it's just so simple. You only need two sprits to make the drink, plus some ice. After all, on a Friday night after a long, draining week, an easy-to-make quaff sure is appealing.
Another reason to love this drink is the flavor. You already know that I'm a big fan of combining sweet caramel with salty peanut butter—they're the hero flavors of my Peanut Butter Caramel Cookies! Well, I discovered that these flavors are just as delectable together in this cocktail.
My Friday cocktail can be mixed in the glass with ice dropped in afterward, or shaken together with ice for a slightly more diluted drink.
And what about your friends who've also had a long week and want to unwind? While my recipe is for one cocktail, it's a cinch to double (for a date night cocktail)! Or, triple the quantities or go even higher to turn the recipe into a batch cocktail for all your friends.
Always classy!
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Serve Friday Night cocktails with a stunning cheese board, full of crackers, fruits, cheeses, and spreads.
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🔪 How to make my Shanky's Friday Night cocktail
Ingredients:
- Shanky's Whip liqueur: Look for this spirit at your liquor store; with its bright yellow, blue, and red label wrapping the bottle of black liquid, it's hard to miss! I usually find it stocked near Baileys, Kahlua, and other sweet liqueurs. You can also check the Shanky's website to find stores near you who sell it.
- Peanut butter whiskey: You should find peanut butter whiskeys stocked with other whiskeys and bourbons. Skrewball is one of the best known brands; others you might see include Sqrrl, Ballotin, Sheep Dog, and Ram's Point.
- Ice: You'll need ice for your rocks glass; I like making cubes with cocktail ice molds. The larger cubes or spheres melt more slowly. If you're mixing the liqueurs with a cocktail shaker, you'll also need some ice for shaking.
Mix the cocktail
Measure out the Shanky's Whip and peanut butter whiskey. Pour them into a rocks glass, then add in a cocktail ice cube. Or, add the liqueurs to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake them until cold, then strain into a rocks glass with ice. Serve the drink right away. Sláinte!
Sweet with sweet
Guinness Chocolate Irish Soda Bread
The caramel and vanilla notes of the Friday Night drink are perfect for pairing with this rich chocolate-filled soda bread.
Friday Night Cocktail FAQs
Yes, you can definitely turn this drink-for-one into a drink for all! Multiply the quanities in the recipe for the number of people you want to serve. Combine the Shanky's Whip and peanut butter whiskey in a covered container and hold it in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, pour the drink into rocks glasses and add some ice.
If you'd like, you can add about a half-ounce of water per serving to the batch cocktail to dilute it just a little.
Remember that the Shanky's Whip website has a store locator map to help track down the spirit in your area. (And be sure to ask the store owner if you don't see it!) You can also order Shanky's online and have it delivered. If, however, despite your best efforts, you cannot find any Shanky's, try substituting a caramel or toffee flavored liqueur, or butterscotch schnapps. Add a tiny dash of vanilla extract to the glass as well. The drink will be lighter in color without the Shanky's.
The folks at Shanky's Whip have an interesting, albeit fictional, story that their liqueur is named after an old Irish jockey named "Shanky". The roguish Shanky used to race horses, but was then banned from the sport because of his debaucherous behavior. To get around the ban, Shanky turned up at a race with an emu hooked up to the racing cart instead of a horse. (Some accounts claim it's an ostrich.) I really wish this story were true; it's a pretty fun one!
Tips:
- For an extra cold cocktail, you can store the Shanky's Whip and peanut butter whiskey in the fridge or freezer before making the drinks.
Ready to kick back on the couch or back deck and raise a glass to the end of a long week? Me too! The Friday Night cocktail recipe is below—Sláinte!
And here are more drinks you'll love to sip on:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Friday Night Cocktail
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Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces Shanky's Whip liqueur
- 1.5 ounces peanut butter whiskey
- ice
Instructions
Mix the cocktail:
- Have a rocks glass ready.
- Pour the 1.5 ounces Shanky's Whip liqueur and 1.5 ounces peanut butter whiskey into the glass. Use a spoon to stir them together.
Add ice and serve:
- Drop a couple of ice cubes, or one large cocktail ice cube, into the glass. Serve the Friday Night cocktail immediately.
To make in a cocktail shaker:
- For a more diluted version of the cocktail, pour the Shanky's Whip and peanut butter whisky into a cocktail shaker. Add in some ice, cover, and shake the liqueurs until they're cold.
- Strain the liquid into a rocks glass, and add in some ice. Then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Christian Mock says
I can personally attest that a Friday Night is a very good way to end the week! And after all that searching for Shanky’s in Ireland, finding it sitting on a shelf back home still makes me laugh!
Nancy Mock says
Oh, same! And it never once occurred to me to check the stores at home before we left. Oh well, at least Melissa got her Shanky's, too!