This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, and one of San Francisco's top bars, Elixir, has honored the Irish who helped to construct the city's most famous landmark.

The bar is run by H. Joseph Ehrmann, who used The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes whiskey to create The Mission Irish for Elixir's new 'Golden Gate Cocktail menu':

"Elixir is the second oldest saloon location in San Francisco and had a long run of Irish proprietors in the early days, as well as a rich Irish community around it. 

"The Mission District used to be teeming with Irish and a good number of them actually built the Golden Gate Bridge. So this drink is a nod to that heritage at Elixir and in San Francisco"

This ties in perfectly with The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes, which commemorates those Irish who travelled overseas to new destinations. Many of them, including those from San Francisco's Mission District, achieved remarkable feats and contributed a great deal to their host communities.

They are all part of The Wild Geese story, which is why the brand says:

"Wherever you are in the world, if you are of Irish descent you are part of this story and entitled to call yourself Wild Geese."

The brand is changing the identity of the Irish whiskey market, by encouraging bar tenders to use the Collection's internationally acclaimed whiskeys to create new cocktail experiences.

"I tasted the full line up at Whiskies of the World and found the Rare bottling to be exceptionally rich and complex for an Irish whiskey. It made an excellent sipper, but I immediately started to think of ways to enhance it in a cocktail," Ehrmann said.

Partnerships with bartenders like H. Joseph Ehrmann are proving how versatile the brand is and encouraging people to approach this Irish whiskey with a sense of creativity.

"I enjoy the line extensions of this brand because it shows the many possibilities of Irish Whiskey, a category that is too often generalized for one flavour profile. These are some delicious bottlings"

Ehrmann goes on to explain why he included The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes in The Mission Irish cocktail: "Generally, with a spirit as dominant and flavorful as that, I want it to shine, so simply adding a few touches is enough and the Old Fashioned formula is perfect for that.

"When a barrel aged spirt shows me deep dark chocolate notes, I like chocolate bitters to highlight that, and using brown sugar further enhances the richness. It's a simple cocktail really, which is part of it's beauty"

You can celebrate The Mission District's Irish and experience this new cocktail at Elixir, 3200 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Don't forget to head over to The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes' Facebook page to share your experiences.