Poitín is Ireland’s most ancient spirit and is often referred to as Ireland’s mezcal, cachaça, grappa and, most commonly, moonshine. The word is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, which means ‘pot’ (incidentally, the Irish word for a hangover is póit). Poitín is one of the small number of Irish food and drink products which have been granted Geographical Indicative Status by the EU.
There were many myths around its origin – including a quite incredible tale that St Patrick brewed up the first batch after running out of wine while saying mass (it’s not said how he managed this exactly). The earliest official records, at the time of writing, reveal that the first place poitín was made dates was Irish monastic settlements like Glendalough, all the way back in 584AD.