 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
BEHIND THE STICK - with Patrick McCormick
Everybody's Irish
Just as the saying goes "It's 5:00 p.m. somewhere!" (which is true, I checked it out), on St. Patrick's Day, everybody IS Irish!
St. Patrick's Day celebrates the death of St. Patrick who crusaded to convert the Irish Pagans to Christianity. Today however, it is a celebration (one that last five days in Ireland) that is literally held all over the world on March 17th. It is a day of fun, food, drink, family, parades, green anything (originally the color was blue) and devoted to paying homage to the charm and personality of the Irish culture. Some ten years ago, while my wife and I were honeymooning in Ireland, I was fortunate to experience the Irish culture first hand. Our flight landed 6am, their time, and we'd been up all night from our wedding reception the night before, so naturally, after getting the car and our hotel (now 7:30 am), the first thing I do is call room service for a "pint" (The bars were not open yet)! And so our Irish vacation began! We spent so much time just eating and drinking our way through Ireland. My first night in Dublin I was put in my place when told that I will have to wait for my Guinness, no exceptions. If I want another, I should order half way through my current one. Bartenders frowned when you asked for ice, and when my wife asked for a Kahlua and Cream, they had to dust off the bottle -and cream was not an option unless we milked the cow ourselves. In the bigger bars you could get a gin and tonic (even though they were still upset about the ice thing). One of our best times was being out all night in a pub in where we were told that the pub does not CLOSE at 11 p.m., "We just lock the doors at 11 p.m.!" That was an "intoxicating" evening! But all-in-all, the hospitality that we received felt like staying in a five-star-hotel everyday. The people were very happy about life with a "the glass is half-full" type of attitude. And like I said, on St. Patrick's Day, everybody is Irish. Let's all celebrate together a day of fun and frivolity, make new friends, wear a green shirt (underwear if you have special plans), drink and eat heartily (take a cab or have a designated driver) and embrace the Irish culture to the fullest! And here I have offered up a few ideas to set the mood. SLAINTE! IRISH CAR BOMB Fill a pint glass half full with stout Mix equal amounts Irish Whisky and Irish Cream in a shot glass Drop the shot glass into the stout (Yes -one glass inside the other!) Drink fast! IRISH COFFEE (the way it should be made) Put a tablespoon or cube of brown sugar in coffee glass Add 1 oz. of Irish Whisky Fill with hot coffee (leave a half inch at top of glass) Mix coffee, sugar and Whisky Finish with lightly whipped heavy cream (pour over back of spoon to layer) Drink the hot coffee through the cool cream SHILLELAGH Fill shaker with ice and add equal parts of Irish Whisky, Irish Cream and Irish Mist Shake and strain into shot glass BLACK VELVET Layer Stout and then Champagne in a Champagne flute NUTTY IRISHMEN Equal parts of Irish Cream and Hazelnut liqueur Fill with hot coffee and whipped cream IRISH PEACH CREAM Equal parts of Irish Cream and Peach vodka Drink over ice IRISH SQUIRREL 1 oz. Irish Whisky 1/2 oz. Crème de Noyau (almond) 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice Shake and strain into martini glass Lemon twist garnish Patrick McCormick has been bartending for over 11 years. He's currently the mixologist at The Oceanaire in Baltimore's Inner Harbor East.
ARCHIVES MAIN PAGE |
