SLAINTE!
The word “whiskey” comes from an Irish Gaelic phrase, Uisce Beatha, translated into English as “water of life.” This has its origins in a medieval Latin term with the same meaning for distilled spirits: aqua vitae. For the Gaelic-challenged, “Slainte” is how you say “Cheers!” in Ireland.
Being a first-generation American, having both parents hailing from the south of Ireland, Irish whiskey has long been a huge part of my life. As infants, our mother would rub Jameson on the gums of my brothers and sisters and me while we were teething. The jury is out on whether it eased the pain or just put us to sleep. Ask a doctor.
As a child, when we caught those bad colds that
