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an old staple in pubs all over Ireland, isfinally available in America.“Every time I go back to Ireland, people say,‘Bring me back a bottle of Paddy’”, saidChris Caldwell, 33, general manager of TheAuld Dubliner Irish Pub on Pine Avenue.Caldwell was born and raised in Donegal,Ireland, and his bar stocks more than 35different whiskeys, so Caldwell knowshis stuff.Parkers’ Lighthouse announces:WINE DINNERSERIESPaddy is known to go down light andsmooth with a peppery finish. It was firstproduced by Cork Distilleries Company in1877. In 1882, a young Patrick J. O’Flahertyjoined the company as a “traveller” or salesrepresentative. As O’Flaherty traveledfrom town to town, he offered up roundsof the Cork Distilleries Company OldIrish Whiskey.Another spirit making a long overduecomeback is absinthe. It was banned inthe United States, along with most countiesin Western Europe, in the early 1900s. Fornearly a century, you would have to goto Spain to try the world’s best and mostnotoriously-potent absinthe.Wine Pairings first Thursdayof each month from 7-9pmPARKERS’ LIGHTHOUSEWWW.PARKERSLIGHTHOUSE.COMSHORELINE VILLAGE | LONG BEACH | 562.432.6500Reservations required. Find us on facebook for news and special offers!In 2007, absinthe was finally made legal inthe U.S., and is popping up in more tavernsevery year. The drink is nearly 50 percentalcohol by volume — but sometimes asmuch as nearly three-quarters alcohol —and tastes of anise.Part of the drink’s allure is its ritualisticpreparation. There are two ways to serveabsinthe, the French Method and theBohemian Method.Whether your preferred choice is a goodold-fashioned beer, an old-time favoritelike Paddy or an exotic glass of flamingabsinthe, the best the world has to offercan all be found on the shelves behindmany of our local bars. nPhoto courtesy of Cucapá.longbeachmagazine.com 21