iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I still have a big round ball of ice left in my glass, so I feel that means I ought to try something else.

I swapped in Agave instead of the gomme syrup because t was what I had, and also it seemed it would be OK with the Mezcal.

A cluster shot of all the cocktail ingredients and a metal jigger.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13h

Just made a Pan-Am cocktail. I haven’t had a dud from this book yet and that’s rare.

PAN-AM
The Pan-Am is a transcontinental journey in a glass, blending bourbon and mescal for a smoky, adventurous flavour. It's a drink that evokes the golden age of travel, even if you're miles away from air miles.
Pour yourself a glass, stir and let your tastebuds take flight - no passport required.
Ingredients
• Bourbon
1 oz. (30 ml/2 tbsp.)
• Mescal
1 oz (30 ml/2 tbsp.)
• Dash Angostura bitters
Dash gomme syrup
Method
Pour the Ingredients into an old-fashioned glass, stir, and serve.

60 SHARP AND SOUR COCKTAILS TO TICKLE YOUR TASTEBUDS
BITTER
TART

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 15h

For more: www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...

Shifting a tech base is hard. But what are they doing to get ready for it, even if it's going to take a while to get right?
The Irish Independent asked Peter Burke, the Minister for Enterprise, about this last week.
"He said its not on his radar right now. "I haven't see any geopolitical pressure around that, personally,", he said 'I'm meeting my EU counterparts next week and it's not something that has been raised for the agendaỊạ
This raises inaction to almost a law of physics. Newton's First Law says that an object remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.
Similarly, for an Irish Government Minister, no movement is imaginable unless the Minister experiences an external pressure.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 15h

Why yes! www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Little sculptures around your house can also be practical.

A copper wire sculpture of a robin. Two rings are threaded onto its tail.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Checking in on the budget. Wondering which voters’ needs are being prioritised.

THE IRISH TIMES
• Reductions in tax for middle-income earners will be worth up to €1,500 for a couple with a combined income of €100,000
• Minimum wage set to rise 79 cent to €14.94
• Tax-free threshold for earnings under the rent-a-room relief will rise to
€16,000

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Beneath the streets, a beach. Even Talbot street.

A gateway made of wooden slats and with a Discover Talbot written above it.

Through the frame of the doorway, the sun is shining and Talbot street has giant daisies and a woman acrobatically dancing with coloured silk scarves.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The more I look at it, the more this graph at the end of my most recent Gist explains the behaviour of so many of Ireland's political parties. SF, for example, simply can't deal with 50% of its supporters looking to strengthen institutions while the other 50% want to blow them up.

Stacked bar chart from More in Common, June 2026. Question: "Which comes closest to your view? Please use a scale of 1–4 where 1 means you agree with the first statement and 4 means you agree with the second." Statement 1: "Our political and social institutions are worth preserving and improving, not destroying." Statement 4: "When I think about our political and social institutions, I cannot help thinking 'just let them all burn.'" Results in percent, listed as 1 (preserve), 2, 3, 4 (burn):

All respondents: 28, 30, 22, 20.
Fianna Fáil: 46, 29, 13, 11.
Sinn Féin: 25, 25, 25, 25.
Fine Gael: 47, 31, 13, 9.
Green Party: 46, 22, 21, 12.
Labour: 36, 36, 20, 8.
Social Democrats: 23, 49, 22, 7.
Independent Ireland / Aontú: 15, 28, 27, 29.
Other: 28, 26, 21, 26.
Non-voters: 20, 32, 25, 23.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Take the €100,000 Govt-commissioned report provided by KPMG to justify continuing Ireland’s unrestricted data centre growth. (Recently described in a UN report as a “cautionary tale”)

Amongst innumerable absurdities, up at the front of the report it claimed that
"876,000 jobs (32% of national employment)" were "underpinned" by Ireland's 72 data centres.
But at the same time, down the back of the report, in a Appendix, it acknowledged that their ongoing employment contribution to the nation was 9,500 jobs.

2010
2020 (peak construction)
2030

Jobs
Capex
1,800
26,300

Opex
700
5,600
9,500

Total
2,500
31,900
9,500

Wages (€m)
Capex
76
1,118

Opex
37
295
504

Total
113
1,413
504

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Amongst innumerable absurdities, up front it claimed that “876,000 jobs (32% of national employment)” was “underpinned” by Ireland’s 72 data centres. But at the same time, in the appendix, it acknowledged that their ongoing employment contribution was 9,500 jobs. enterprise.gov.ie/en/publicati...

2010
2020 (peak construction)
2030

Jobs
Capex
1,800
26,300
-

Opex
700
5,600
9,500

Total
2,500
31,900
9,500

Wages (€m)
Capex
76
1,118
-

Opex
37
295
504

Total
113
1,413
504

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

What was your first computer growing up?

The IBM PET. It has a screen on top of a big metal block with coloured keys and a block for the numpad on one side and the tape deck on the other.

Imagine if Darth Vader became a word processor.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

At the same time that the Minister for Justice is trying to cut off our access to the economic engine of immigration, the Minister for Finance is warning about the very demographic problem immigration is solving. While ignoring its existence.

THE IRISH TIMES
"By 2050, just 24 years away, Ireland will look a lot like Italy or Japan does today. In such a society, growth will be lower, costs will be higher and the burden on taxpayers - our children - will be immense, Harris will say. "There is no way of avoiding that fate and that is why it is so important that we continue to run surpluses and invest in our sovereign wealth fundạẠỊi

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Trying to reduce immigration to Ireland rivals DeValera's Economic War and protectionism of the 1930s-1950s for sheer bladed self-denosing. www.thegist.ie/the-gist-wha...

thegist.ie
The consequences for this are severe. When the department store managers can't tell the difference between the customers and the shop dummies, whoever can arrange the most shop dummies can make it appear that a product, or a policy, is a hit or a flop.
Which leads us seamlessly to Jim O'Callaghan. The Minister for Justice announced he loved seeing the joy of new citizens at the swearing in ceremonies and also he wanted to urgently put a stop to it.

Let's see what the public are saying on X

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This is no way to gauge public opinion.

HMV Dog looking into gramophone.
Caption:
Let's see what the public are saying on X

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

For example: www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

14:12 ›
THE IRISH TIMES
good idea", and that while there will be measures intended to address the ongoing housing crisis, they will, he said, be focused on boosting supply.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This post from Jan 2026 is probably the piece that has had the biggest impact in the world, quoted in the Dáil and referenced everywhere during that week. It remains the 2nd or 3rd most visited post on the site each week. It delivered 8 new free signed-up readers. www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...

~ Growth
Free members
8
Paid members
0
MRR impact
€0

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

For decades the political and media class were tuned to responding to public interest and concerns that would reach them through daily newspapers and broadcast. Twitter brought them a flood of additional signals. X has swapped that for a far-right synthetic version of the public’s voices.

The HMV dog, Nipper, listening intently to his master’s voice being played by a gramafone. Caption: Let's see what the public are saying on X

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

New Gist: What if On the Irish Government’s incoherent and shameful plan to make it harder for brown and black people to get Irish passports. www.thegist.ie/the-gist-wha...

thegist.ie
And this is what we want to dissuade?
And all because of the tiny number of men (overwhelmingly) who are assembling crowds of baying shop dummies, screaming that they are The Master's Voice. All of them demanding hostility first and reasoning not at all when it comes to anyone, Irish born or not, who might have a complexion darker than that of a peeled potato.
In fact, for this army of mannequins and their dummy owners, to be Black and to be Irish is the greatest affront and standing refutation of their abject racism.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The thing the Minister for Justice is trying to stop us have is the thing that is keeping us going.

In 2021 the CSO projected an economic demographic crisis as the number of older people increased and the number of working people supporting them fell. However, that crisis was largely projected on what turned out to be wild underestimates of Ireland's likely net migration. Migrants are overwhelmingly more likely to be of working age or younger. Where the CSO had projected net migration of between 10,000 and 30,000 per year, Ireland has benefited from an unforeseen safety net of net migration between 48,000-93,000 per year.

The shops are open, the hospitals are staffed, the restaurants are producing tasty food, the mushrooms are being picked and the universities are attracting talent. And, socially, stagnation is avoided in favour of change, horizons are broadening and schools that would have shut continue to educate children.

And this is what we want to dissuade?

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Game changer ice cream currently in Lidl.

MADE IN DONEGAL
Little mammas
GELATO
SCOOP
THE LOOP
Lemon, Lime & Chocolate Classic Irish Gelato
Inspired by Italy, Enjoyed in Ireland

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

*Ed Sheeran releases statement.* Every other muscian on his tour:

A German swimming pool. You can tell because of the big illuminated sign saying DAS BAD

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

You know, I think I may have something on this very topic. A pity that the Govt didn’t read its own report on the causes of the Children’s Hospital overruns. www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...

Developing a high-quality, peer-reviewed, and mature design before commencing a major construction project reduces the risk of a cost overrun.
It goes on (at Section 10.3 of the report) to discuss the "Design Maturity Risk". Failure to settle on a design at the start of a process, and then stick to it, means that changes and mistakes get more and more expensive to fix or implement as the project goes on.
Look, there's even a chart!
(A simple two line chart showing costs going up the later changes to designs are introduced)

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I have read Ed Sheeran’s statement and it is one for the ages. Certainly, banging the sentence “I am not complicit.” in with *a bullet point* is a boggling choice.

• I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care. Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own, personal way.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Near my hotel there is an unexcavated Roman temple complex, 5 hectares in area. Faced with these steps, the city did the obvious thing and added a slide and a rope climbing thing for kids.

Truly ancient looking yellow stone steps set into a grassy bank with a stainless steel children’s slide right beside them and a climbing up a rope playground item directly in front of them.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I forgot the pro-Columbus March I met in New York.

A bunch of lads dressed up like Dracula carrying a banner as they walk down a pavement, dwarfed by skyscrapers

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Lads, they ended up following me around town giving pro-Israel speeches.

A fellow on the road of a German shopping street with an entire demonstration waving pre-Islamic Revolutionary Iranian flags and carrying photographs of the dead.

Thing is, we do not have to ever got to hand it to the Iranian Government.

But in declining to do so, this is some weird behaviour.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Here’s the time a lady in zogabongs gave a speech in favour of Russia invading Ukraine outside my hotel window in San Francisco.

It Is a group of people standing in a sort of concrete circle. One is holding a banner protesting assisting Ukraine. Two very old women are holding signs shaped like hearts. And, on the mic, a lady in zogabongs is giving her opinion.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Every time I travel somewhere, there is an odd protest on. Does this mean there are odd protests happening constantly? Or do people feel moved, for reasons they cannot even say themselves, to do odd protests when I am about?

Janey.

Ok. A collection of people with very large flags they are waving/ wearing are gathered outside the Trier Catholic Church.

We have two different Iranian flags, with different middle symbols, a US flag. There’s even an Israel flag

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Never, when in primary school and looking at the map of the EEC on the wall of every classroom, did I ever think my life would include this many trips to Luxembourg.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Ah, I may have something here to save the reader some time. *pats pockets before producing Betteridge’s Law*

Wikipedia screenshot:

Headline: Betteridge's law of headlines

Article

Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, we may share your personal information with the acquiring or receiving entity.”

Oh no.
Image of an extract from their T&C:

Purpose: To improve and develop new products and services
We may sometimes use your information to help us improve and develop products and services, including to develop updates and add new functionality, product and features based on your comments and feedback and an understanding of how you and others use them.
Adult data
Verification information
Device and usage information
Customer support information

Bluesky don't even have control over Epic.
The Kids Web Services company isn't a Data Processor for Bluesky as Data Controller (which would let Bluesky dictate how its users' data can be used). The Privacy Policy is quite clear that "The legal entity responsible for the information that we collect through KWS is Kids Web Services Ltd (we / us). Kids Web Services Ltd belongs to the Epic Games family. of companies"

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

You can read about the third party ID system that EPIC games, the people who run Fortnight, set up and which BlueSky uses in the U.K. when they required Age Verification: www.thegist.ie/the-gist-age...

some, "but never all", of the following information:
• your name, date of birth, mailing address, credit or debit card information, a personal identity number (such as a CPF number in Brazil, a CURP number in Mexico, certain digits of a RRN number or i-PIN in the Republic of Korea, and certain digits of a US social security number in the US), a cell phone number, an identity document or face scan." (uh...emphasis added)
• "we automatically collect information about your devices (computers, phones, tablets etc.) and your use of and interactions with KWS, including in order to identify your country and language"
• Device information, which includes "data about the operating systems and hardware and software versions, device identifiers, internet protocol (IP) address, login data, browser type and version, time zone setting, country and language, browser plug-in types and versions"
• Usage information, which includes site navigation... the actions you take, the time, frequency and duration of your activities (UH....emphasis absolutely added)

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

aside from the more significant issue of their patron also supporting a project run by someone who promotes rampant racism and calls for mass deportations, but if Progress Ireland’s whole deal is promoting building, is it not fair to expect their head to read the Development Plan?

The first thing to say is, it's hard to even find the 2022-2028 Dublin City Development Plan.
Despite being an electronic document, the council has chosen to split it into 24 separate PDFs. Added together, these 24 PDFs sum to 2,447 pages.
Note: I'm leaning on ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude a lot for this piece because no sane person could be expected to manually pore over two thousand pages of planning documents. If there are errors, blame the voluminous PDFs - not the LLMs. Nor

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Here is a sample of the values of the creator and controller of Omarchy, which lists Patrick Collison as its No 2 donor, having given it $1 million. (I decline to link. You may find the original if you must)

Alien, even. So I get the frustration that many Brits have with the way mass immigration has changed the culture and makeup of not just London, but their whole country.
That frustration was on wide display in Tommy Robinson's march yesterday. British and English flags flying high and proud, like they would in Copenhagen on the day of a national soccer match. Which was both odd to see but also heartwarming. You can sometimes be forgiven for thinking that all of Britain is lost in self-loathing, shame, and suicidal empathy. But of course it's not.

Omarchy is a Linux distribution created and controlled by David Heinemeier Hansson, usually known as DHH. DHH is the founder and CTO of 37signals (formerly Basecamp) and creator of Ruby on Rails.
In the last year DHH has also called for the ethnic cleansing of Europe.
In "As I remember London," he voiced support for ethnically cleansing London of minorities.
In "Wolves, sheep, and gypsies," he called for the ethnic cleansing of Romani people across Europe, comparing them to wolves.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

So about that Collison-funded think tank whose policies the Govt has been so receptive to… www.alilleybrinker.com/blog/1passwo...

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

When you’re waiting to join the Council of Rivendell from Hobbiton, but the elves have screwed up the Teams invites again.

A man in a shirt is sitting with a background of circles leading to green spaces

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

He kept demanding I photograph him. And, in fairness, a penguin getting up a tree is quite impressive.

A crow with a grey body with black wings and a black hooded head.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Someone had a coffee and walnut cake made for them.

A tasty buttercream a streusel topped two layer coffee and walnut cake, cut into to show its tasty insides. On a white plate, with a big knife beside it.

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The FT magazine has a whole page layout of stationary and desk accessories, just as a present to me- and by extension, you.

HOW TO SHOP IT
10
20
HOT
DESKING
Get your stationery orders in for the new term. By Aylin Bayhan
18
19
17
PRESENT IN COMICE
15
The Inspiration Remy Renzull's studio in his London home, photographed by Mark Anthony Fox 1 CRAIGHILL brass desk knife, E80, papierroyal.com. 2 BENNETT WINCH cotton canvas and lesther briefcase, 1875. 3 ZENCI stainies steel Japanese geometric scissors. E28, gardenheir.com. 4 CRAYOLA wax crayons, C3.45. 5 MULBERRY lesther Postman's Lock agends, E325. 6 RALPH LAUREN HOME brass Barrett Knurled desk ight. ELTIO
7 AWAGAMI FACTORY washi paper assortment, Em.50. jacksonsart.com. KAKIMORI pigment. ink, (29, hamiltonpens.com. 9KAWECO resin Classic Sport Clutch pencil, E15, theonlinepencompany.com. 10 BRUNELLO CUCINELL leather organiser boxes, E1.85O. 11 SEZNE scented candle, ESS. 12 MARK+FOLD stationery gift set, E14O. 13 SMYTHSON bordered correspondence cards, E26. 14 SHACHIHATA connected calendar stamp, E43. bungustore. IS LORO FIANA wicker and calfskin basket, E3.410. 16 BOTTEGA VENETA Intrecciato lesther pencil case, 680. 17 PRESENT & CORRECT stel, brass and aluminium Clip Strip. E12 18 MAKERS CABINET brass pencil sharpener, E84, abask.com. 19 ARMANIICASA metal, wood and leather Roussesu desk, (23.200.20 CRAFT DESIGN TECHNOLOGY platio stapler. 522, cortdays.com. 21 KURETAKE Gansal Tambi watercolour

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A reminder, again, that Ireland has *chosen* not to take regulatory action against this abuse factory, whose office sits in Fenian Street in Dublin. I think this failure to act in the face of clear knowledge is an unforgivable act.

ars TECHNICA

Tag: "HORRIFIC"

Elon Musk's xAI used child porn to train Grok models, lawsuit says
xAI accused of training Grok on real and Al-generated child pornography.
ASHLEY BELANGER - 27 AUG 2026 21:52

- An inflatable effigy of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, protesting Musk's Grok Al, stands in Times Square in New York City. Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU /
Contributor AFP

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This cropped screenshot will be my Pete Hegseth illustration photo if I am ever so unlucky to need one.

A withered twist of sticks, gathered to the shape of a man. Its diminished hair is gnarled and dry, waiting for the coming of a brush fire to sweep it away. Its hand-like branches clumsily grasp a microphone. It stands behind a podium, uttering slurs and falsehoods.

It has, by its own command, caused the podium to be labelled with a sign. “The Arse”

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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

And here are three more options with the spirit of the hedges.

Untamed Flame ®®0
Mad March Hare poitín, Havana Club 7, Allta miso butter, banana, caramel, egg
€15
Geotropic ®
Bán poitín, Stillgarden O'Maro Irish amaro, Regal Rogue Wild Rosé vermouth, grape brandy, coconut, strawberry
€15
Parts Unknown
Bán poitín, Don Julio tequila, grapefruit, pineapple, mulberry, lime, chilli
€15

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