St. Patrick’s Day is next weekend (Sunday, March 17th) and millions of Americans will be out, overindulging and celebrating their “heritage” for a day. Recently found I that I am 1% Irish/Scottish from Ancestry.com. Therefore I can give my opinion with 1% authority.
This year I’m hoping you can forget about the green beer and learn how to drink on St. Patrick’s Day like a proper gentleman or lady.
First of all, skip that green beer. There is just no excuse for it. Next, head over to ‘pint’ land, and no references to leprechauns, please. I mean a pint of quality Irish beers such as Guinness or Murphy’s Irish Stout, both of which should be available on tap at your local Irish bar. If you don’t know what a ‘pint’ means in relation to beer, then you have zero business celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
Now, if the dark bitter beer that the Irish (and English) are known for is not to your taste, you have other options. There are other Irish beers that are not Stouts, with less bitterness, much lighter consistency and lighter colors. By the way, take your time with the beer, learn to appreciate all its subtleties and tastes. This is a time to relax, not to be in a drinking competition.
Maybe, as I said before, Irish beer is not to your liking. I can’t blame you for that. “Dark” beer is certainly an acquired taste. Even if you do like it, you can take your “Irish” to the next level by ordering an Irish Whisky instead.
More likely than not the bar you are in will have Jameson. Jameson is a type of blended Irish whiskey. That means it uses single pot still whiskey and grain whiskey mixed together. Next, Jameson triple distills them and then ages the whiskey for at least 4 years. Oh and please order it ‘neat’, which means no ice. You should taste the whiskey on its own, not a watered down version.
A fantastic alternative to Jameson is Tyrconnel Single Malt Whisky. This is similar to scotch. and is produced, you guessed it, from a single malt as opposed to mixing with grains. You’ll also be likely to find this or other single malts at your bar. To make it quick, simply as your bartender what Irish single malts are available, find out your price range and order it… neat.
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day this year. And call uber or a cab if you really need to do so. (Photo credits from related companies, And I’d love to credit the photo of the bartender if I can find who it took it.)
Leonard Goffe is an author, writer, and journalist based in South Florida. He is available for your public relations, content development, WordPress design, SEO and technical writing needs.
