ball of malt

From ball (“glass”) + malt (“whiskey”).

• "Myles na gCopaleen, in one of those Cruiskeen Lawn columns that Eamon Morrissey so brilliantl­y adapted for the stage, conjures up a vivid picture of a man suffering the full effects of the night before, entering the pub, ordering in a croaky voice a ball of malt, and then, with shaky hand, firing up a Woodbine. He pours the merest smidgen of water into the whiskey and takes a gigantic gulp that shakes him to his foundations."