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Best Irish Drinks for Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Best Irish Drinks for Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
By Kathryn Vercillo
One of the most obvious ways that people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is to hit up the local Irish bars with their friends and family. After all, the Irish are known for loving their pubs and many of the events that take place to celebrate the holiday are held at Irish pubs throughout the United States and America. People who want to keep their costs down when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year may want to host a party at their own place instead but they’re still likely to have at least a few alcoholic beverages on hand for the guests to enjoy. So, what exactly should you order up at the bar if you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a little bit of Irish drinking?
Here is a look at some of the best Irish drinks for ringing in this March holiday:
Best Irish Drinks for Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day - Photo Gallery (1 of 8)
1. Green Beer. Beer is a favored drink among the Irish. Favorite Irish beers are Guinness and Kilkenny but any Irish stout will do you well. Add a bit of green food coloring to the glass and you’ve got something special for the holiday.
2. Irish cider. If for some reason you just aren’t quite a beer person but you’re almost there then you may find that you’ve got a taste for cider (something that I’ve discovered myself only recently after insisting for a long time that I’d never like anything even remotely resembling beer. Cider has a different taste but a higher alcohol content which makes it easy for some people to drink. The favorite Irish cider that you can find at most Irish pubs is Magners Original Irish Cider (sold under the name Bulmers if you’re actually in Ireland).
3. Irish Car Bomb. This is a favorite drink in the bars during St. Patrick’s Day. You pour a little bit of Irish cream into a shot glass and then top it off with an Irish whiskey. Then you drop the shot glass into a glass of Irish beer, boilermaker style, and down the drink as quickly as you can. You don’t want to wait too long or the cream will curdle inside of the concoction and that’s just not a pleasant way to spend your holiday.
4. Irish Coffee. It’s chilly out in many parts today so a hot drink may be a better way to go and the Irish Coffee is the most obvious choice. Combine hot coffee and Irish whiskey. Add sugar and stir. Add liquid cream to the top of the drink and you’ve got something delicious that will warm you up from the inside out. This drink was originally invented in Limerick, Ireland; have enough of them and you’ll be sharing bad limericks with everyone at the bar!
5. Irish whiskey straight up. If you’re not the kind of person to go for frou frou drinks like an Irish coffee then maybe you should take the coffee and cream out of the drink and just get an Irish whiskey by itself. One to try could be pure pot still whiskey which is unique to Irish whiskey (in other words, not found among other whiskeys like the more well known Scotch whiskeys). However, there are also single malt, single grain and blended whiskey from Ireland so you can choose what suits your palette. Jameson is the brand to know if you’re ordering at a bar.
6. Irish chocolate. At the other end of the spectrum from straight-up whiskey are the many different not-strong-at-all Irish drinks that you can make using Bailey’s Irish Cream as a main ingredient. This is a popular choice for such a drink, combining Bailey’s with traditional hot chocolate to give it just a little bit of an Irish kick.
7. Irish French Kiss. This is a lesser known Bailey’s-rich drink that is great for people who want to try something totally different but still slightly Irish when they’re at the bar this St. Patrick’s Day. Combine equal parts Cointreau and Grand Marnier orange liquers with twice as much Bailey’s, shake it all up and garnish with orange slices. Not your traditional St. Patrick’s day drink but something different can be a little nice too.
8. Frozen Leprechaun. Another drink that’s made with Bailey’s Irish cream, this one is minty green which is perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day. You mix equal parts Bailey’s, Kahlua, peppermint schnapps and milk, blend it all with ice and then top it off with a sprig of mint.
9. Absinthe. This isn’t technically an Irish drink but it’s green so it goes well for St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re in a place like Amsterdam where they have the good stuff then you might find yourself seeing little leprechauns before the night is over but you can also do well just to order the stuff in some of the bars that now carry it in the United States.
10. Poitin. If absinthe is the somewhat illegal spirit that most people are familiar with, poitin is the much stronger Irish version. This moonshine may be hard to get your hands on but if you can find it – and you can really hold your alcohol – then you can spend St. Patrick’s day in true Irish style, most likely singing some of the old Irish drinking songs that frequently mention this drink. You just might not remember much of the night.
Whatever you end up doing and drinking on St. Patrick’s Day, make sure that you do so responsibly! This is one of those holidays that is known for its drinking so it’s really important to arrange for designated drivers or taxi cabs to get you home at the end of the night. All of these drinks can be enjoyed in moderation!
By Kathryn Vercillo
One of the most obvious ways that people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is to hit up the local Irish bars with their friends and family. After all, the Irish are known for loving their pubs and many of the events that take place to celebrate the holiday are held at Irish pubs throughout the United States and America. People who want to keep their costs down when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year may want to host a party at their own place instead but they’re still likely to have at least a few alcoholic beverages on hand for the guests to enjoy. So, what exactly should you order up at the bar if you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a little bit of Irish drinking?
Here is a look at some of the best Irish drinks for ringing in this March holiday:
Best Irish Drinks for Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day - Photo Gallery (1 of 8)
1. Green Beer. Beer is a favored drink among the Irish. Favorite Irish beers are Guinness and Kilkenny but any Irish stout will do you well. Add a bit of green food coloring to the glass and you’ve got something special for the holiday.
2. Irish cider. If for some reason you just aren’t quite a beer person but you’re almost there then you may find that you’ve got a taste for cider (something that I’ve discovered myself only recently after insisting for a long time that I’d never like anything even remotely resembling beer. Cider has a different taste but a higher alcohol content which makes it easy for some people to drink. The favorite Irish cider that you can find at most Irish pubs is Magners Original Irish Cider (sold under the name Bulmers if you’re actually in Ireland).
3. Irish Car Bomb. This is a favorite drink in the bars during St. Patrick’s Day. You pour a little bit of Irish cream into a shot glass and then top it off with an Irish whiskey. Then you drop the shot glass into a glass of Irish beer, boilermaker style, and down the drink as quickly as you can. You don’t want to wait too long or the cream will curdle inside of the concoction and that’s just not a pleasant way to spend your holiday.
4. Irish Coffee. It’s chilly out in many parts today so a hot drink may be a better way to go and the Irish Coffee is the most obvious choice. Combine hot coffee and Irish whiskey. Add sugar and stir. Add liquid cream to the top of the drink and you’ve got something delicious that will warm you up from the inside out. This drink was originally invented in Limerick, Ireland; have enough of them and you’ll be sharing bad limericks with everyone at the bar!
5. Irish whiskey straight up. If you’re not the kind of person to go for frou frou drinks like an Irish coffee then maybe you should take the coffee and cream out of the drink and just get an Irish whiskey by itself. One to try could be pure pot still whiskey which is unique to Irish whiskey (in other words, not found among other whiskeys like the more well known Scotch whiskeys). However, there are also single malt, single grain and blended whiskey from Ireland so you can choose what suits your palette. Jameson is the brand to know if you’re ordering at a bar.
6. Irish chocolate. At the other end of the spectrum from straight-up whiskey are the many different not-strong-at-all Irish drinks that you can make using Bailey’s Irish Cream as a main ingredient. This is a popular choice for such a drink, combining Bailey’s with traditional hot chocolate to give it just a little bit of an Irish kick.
7. Irish French Kiss. This is a lesser known Bailey’s-rich drink that is great for people who want to try something totally different but still slightly Irish when they’re at the bar this St. Patrick’s Day. Combine equal parts Cointreau and Grand Marnier orange liquers with twice as much Bailey’s, shake it all up and garnish with orange slices. Not your traditional St. Patrick’s day drink but something different can be a little nice too.
8. Frozen Leprechaun. Another drink that’s made with Bailey’s Irish cream, this one is minty green which is perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day. You mix equal parts Bailey’s, Kahlua, peppermint schnapps and milk, blend it all with ice and then top it off with a sprig of mint.
9. Absinthe. This isn’t technically an Irish drink but it’s green so it goes well for St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re in a place like Amsterdam where they have the good stuff then you might find yourself seeing little leprechauns before the night is over but you can also do well just to order the stuff in some of the bars that now carry it in the United States.
10. Poitin. If absinthe is the somewhat illegal spirit that most people are familiar with, poitin is the much stronger Irish version. This moonshine may be hard to get your hands on but if you can find it – and you can really hold your alcohol – then you can spend St. Patrick’s day in true Irish style, most likely singing some of the old Irish drinking songs that frequently mention this drink. You just might not remember much of the night.
Whatever you end up doing and drinking on St. Patrick’s Day, make sure that you do so responsibly! This is one of those holidays that is known for its drinking so it’s really important to arrange for designated drivers or taxi cabs to get you home at the end of the night. All of these drinks can be enjoyed in moderation!