Do, please, come in and sit down, 2018! Extend your palm thusly, that Mystic Menu might divine your path over the coming 12 months. As always, this Al-Menu-nac for the year ahead begins with a brief look at predictions delivered in January last year, the hits and the misses.

BBQ for a great cause: Sage Restaurant in Midleton will host a Summer BBQ on Monday (July 24) as a fundraiser for the Time for Tilara fund. 

I always feel I am tempting fate when I write about wines for summer in Ireland — I feel as if the weather gods are waiting to thwart me should I even mention the garden or the word barbecue.

I am often asked to give general (and difficult) wine recommendations along the lines of — “what red wines do you like?” and my answer has been the same for the last few years — look to Spain.

This week is all about the Celtic Whiskey Shop in part to celebrate its new bar/restaurant/shop called the Irish Whiskey Experience on New Street (just off Main St) in Killarney, Co Kerry.

A limited release Poitín from Teelings Whiskey Distillery in Dublin which opened in March last year in Dublin’s Liberties. 

Blackwater Wexford Strawberry Gin, 40% abv, 50cl — €32.00 Stockists: Bradleys Cork, O’Briens Off-Licences nationwide, Celtic Whiskey Shop

This weekend I will be at Ballymaloe House near Midleton for the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine.

Despite all the words this page has expended on a myriad of wines, the reason we are interested is because they all have one thing in common — “the power to banish care”.

Made by Blackwater Irish Spirits in Waterford who produce Muldoon Whiskey Liqueur, this won the Gin Trophy at 2015’s Irish Whiskey Awards.

There has been a lot of publicity about the new UK alcohol guidelines and much discussion about the benefits of a “dry January” these past few weeks. I’m not convinced.

The thing I love most about the Christmas meal is that for once I am not the only one fussing and worrying about what wine to serve. 

International Sherry Week is just gone for another year and given how much wonderfully complex sherry I consumed, I’m going to try to convince you once again to explore this great drink as a food wine.

The only people that seem to be happy with Budget 2016 are the craft brewers. 

The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine is next weekend and there are lots of drinks-related events. 

A fierce man for the moving pictures, The Menu is very much looking forward to Alliance Francaise de Cork 26th Cork French Film Festival.

Matching food and wine is an imprecise art at the best of times, says Leslie Williams.

Aperitif wines are always useful for when guests drop in unexpectedly, and definitely have some inexpensive prosecco in the fridge (more on fizz next week).

From starters to the end-of-the-day movie, Christmas can be a long haul but with the perfect drink in your hand, you won’t want it to end.

The Menu is delighted to hear the revised format for the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 means it is now a truly global competition open to some of the aforementioned young gustatory gaels. 

Back when The Menu roamed the professional kitchen ranges, he had the pleasure of working alongside the very excellent Mags Curtin and it was no great surprise that she went on to become the very first Pastry Chef at Café Paradiso, for she is a fine producer of sweet baked comestibles.

SUMMER 2014 remains as unpredictable as we have come to expect in Ireland so I will be hedging my bets with recommendations for summer drinking over the next few weeks.

THERE were many wine, whiskey, beer and cider highlights at the Ballymaloe Literary Festival this year so make sure to put the third weekend of May in your diary for 2015.

IRELAND’S economy seems to be slowly starting to rise out of the mire in recent months but spare a thought for Argentina’s winemakers who have been suffering massive instability in recent years.

The Menu would dearly love to be unwrapping his Easter eggs in Glorious Gaillimh next weekend with the 3rd Galway Food Festival (April 17-21) in full flight over Easter.

WINE is complicated enough for many consumers to get their head around, given the number of foreign words involved, whether they be obscure wine regions or simply grape varieties. It is not surprising that the simple labelling found on the average bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Chilean Merlot is so welcome to many of us.

JUST a few days before Christmas and I hope you have your wines chosen. If not don’t fret, most wine shops and supermarkets have frozen their prices until Christmas before the €1 excise duty is added.

Mixing Scotch with our own uisce beatha!

Two suspected robbers were arrested and a third hospitalised today after a jewellery store owner, staff and onlookers bravely foiled an armed raid.