Doublin' Dublin

• How to make a black and tan at home
• Did you know?
• Pub crawler's guide to going Irish

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

John Ferguson, owner of Ferguson's Irish Pub on Bishop Street, begins making a black and tan. The light-colored ale or beer goes into the glass first. Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Step 2 — The secret of keeping the dark ale on top is to pour it from the tap and over a spoon.

The perfect black and tan.

"One part is heavy and the other part is light," says Logan Carey-Hughes, a half-Irish accountant from Honolulu. "One part is pale, one is dark. And it's one right on top of the other. There you go — you've got the whole world in your hands.

"And," Carey-Hughes adds, "It's legit Irish for St. Patty's. Forget the green beer."

John Ferguson, owner of Ferguson's Irish Pub on Bishop Street, said the black and tan was one of the first drinks he knew growing up in Ballyshannon in northwest Ireland.

"You can have it with dinner or a good lunch," says Ferguson, who enjoys his with a hearty Irish stew.

Thanks in part to Guinness' Halloween ("The True Colors of Halloween") and St. Patrick's Day promotions over the past several years, black and tans have enjoyed growing popularity in the United States.

Ferguson says he's seen an increasing number of downtown workers stopping in for black and tans after work and on special occasions.

Ferguson pours an all-Irish black-and-tan using Harp lager and Guinness ale, a combination sometimes called a half-and-half. The classic drink calls for Bass Pale Ale instead of Harp.

Poured correctly, the light-colored brew will remain on the bottom with the darker Guinness on top. (In the case of the classic Bass/Guinness black and tan, Erinophiles are quick to point out that the Irish come out on top.)

The properly executed black and tan provides steady-handed drinkers just the right balance of bright pale ale and creamy Guinness.

"It has to be in the right proportion," Ferguson says. "If the Harp and the Guinness (mix) ... you get a distorted taste."

Afficionados say black and tans should be savored not just for their taste but because so much care goes into their making.

Bartenders typically used controlled taps to get an even pour, and even then, keeping the two components separate takes a deft touch.

Typically, bartenders will pour the Harp or Bass first, allowing a light head that helps with the distribution of the next layer.

The hard part comes next. To keep the Guinness from mixing with the bottom layer, bartenders have to pour slowly and surely over as wide an area as possible. Most use an upside-down spoon to help disperse the flow.

It is possible to make black and tans at home but — and this isn't exactly a tragedy to some — it may take a lot of experimentation.

"Sometimes it comes out, sometimes it doesn't," says Honolulu engineer and black-and-tan labbie Adam Tolentino. "I end up drinking a lot of mistakes."

Guinness cans contain a widget that helps replicate the effect of a tap, making it possible — but not necessarily easy — to pour the Guinness layer like a bartender. Tolentino says he usually forgoes the intermediary spoon and concentrates on pouring slowly and smoothly down the side of the tilted glass.

"Personally, I prefer the Guinness part," he says.

How to make a black and tan at home

What you need: One can of Harp or Bass, one can of Guinness, one spoon (soup spoons work well) and one tall beer glass.

• Step 1: Tilting the glass, pour the Harp or Bass to just past the midway point; a vigorous pour will create a head that can help with the layering.
• Step 2: Keeping the glass slightly tilted, pour the Guinness slowly over the upside-down spoon.
• Step 3: Sit back and admire your work for a moment — then drink!

Did you know?

The term black and tan originally referred to a breed of hunting dog, and, more infamously, to the British troops who crushed rebel activity during the Irish War of Independence. Their uniforms were a mixture of black police and tan military clothing.

Pub crawler's guide to going Irish

Can't make it to one of our town's St. Patrick's Day parties? Go green any day of the year at one of Honolulu's handful of Irish pubs.

Ferguson's Irish Pub

• 729 Bishop St.
• 521-9020
• 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Mon-Sat.
• Closed Sun.
• Black and tan available.

Irish Rose Saloon

• 227 Lewers St.
• 924-7711
• 11 a.m.-4 a.m. daily
• Black and tan not available. (Dublin brews in bottles only; Guinness on draught is required for a black and tan.)

Kelley O'Neil's

• 311 Lewers St.
• 926-1777
• 11 a.m.-4 a.m. (11 a.m.-11 p.m. kitchen) daily
• Traditional Irish bands, Sundays at 4 p.m.
• Black and tan available.

Murphy's Bar & Grill

• 2 Merchant St.
• 531-0422
• 11 a.m.-2 a.m. (kitchen 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-10 p.m.) Mon-Fri; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. (kitchen 5-10 p.m.) Sat; 4 p.m.-midnight (no kitchen) Sun.
• Black and tan available.

O'Toole's Irish Pub

• 902 Nu'uanu Ave.
• 536-4138
• 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon-Sat; 10 a.m.- midnight Sun.
• Black and tan available.