St. Patrick’s Day is always an occasion for drinking, and cocktails made with Irish whiskey or beer are an ideal way to celebrate. There are a wide variety of recipes available for drinks incorporating these Irish ingredients, some more traditional than others.
Irish Coffee
While the origins of the most famous Irish whiskey cocktail are disputed, many accounts attribute it to Joseph Sheridan, head chef at the port of Foynes in County Limerick. Sheridan apparently concocted the drink to warm a group of incoming passengers in either 1934 or 1943, depending on the source.
The classic Irish coffee recipe combines strong black coffee with Irish whiskey and brown sugar, and is then topped off with cream. The cream is poured over the back of a spoon held slightly above the coffee.
There are also variations on the traditional recipe. Cocktail Times gives a recipe for a “Hot Irish Monk”, which replaces the coffee with hot chocolate and combines the whiskey with Frangelico hazelnut liqueur.
Black Velvet
Since Guinness is a longstanding Irish favorite, it’s no surprise that it figures in a number of cocktail recipes. The Black Velvet combines it with champagne for an unusual combination of flavors.
The Guinness is first poured into a chilled champagne flute. The champagne is added over top of the Guinness, and must be poured in carefully so that it doesn’t mix with the beer.
There are many other cocktail recipes that incorporate Guinness. A few of these are surveyed in an article on the Kegworks Blog, including the Liverpool Kiss (a near full pint of Guinness topped with a dollop of Crème de Cassis) and the Guinness Shandy (Guinness and lemonade mixed together).
Emerald
This whiskey cocktail is a favorite of Esquire cocktail historian David Wondrich, who expresses contempt for most every other Irish whiskey drink (apart from Irish coffee) in his glowing assessment of the Emerald. The piece bemusedly notes that there’s nothing actually green about the drink, as it incorporates orange bitters.
The Emerald recipe is simple: it combines Irish whiskey with an ounce of Italian vermouth. Wondrich also suggests some variations on the formula for those who wish to avoid the orange bitters, such as substituting Angostura bitters to create a version called the Blarney Stone.
Tommy Gun
One of the more elaborate Irish whiskey cocktails, this drink incorporates apricot jam, ginger slices, and lemon juice along with the whiskey and Grand Marnier. The recipe calls for muddling the ginger, jam, and lemon juice together in a cocktail shaker before adding the alcoholic components and ice.
A recipe for the Tommy Gun can be found on the Yumsugar website, as part of a St. Patrick’s Day party idea where the ingredients are set out so guests can make the drink themselves.
Irish Car Bomb
Considering the history of violence in Belfast, the name of this drink could be considered somewhat tasteless, but it’s an apt description of its potency. The Irish Car Bomb combines whiskey and Guinness, and adds in Bailey’s Irish cream for good measure.
The drink is made by pouring a half pint of Guinness into a highball glass, then filling a one-ounce shot glass with the Bailey’s and whiskey. Once the two are combined, the drink should be consumed in one chug.
Paul Brown - Paul Ferrell Brown graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1994 with a B.A. in English literature, and completed his M.A. in ...
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