I find it interesting and ironic that St. Patrick's Day, a day celebrating a Catholic saint, falls smack in the midst of Lent. It's an oft heard justification for not giving up alcohol for Lent. "If the Catholic church wanted me to sacrifice my alcohol intake for Lent, then why would they put St. Patrick's Day right in the middle of Lent? Clearly this is a message from the Catholic church telling us they want us to make sacrifices other than alcohol. Like lima beans and arena football."
Even though it's a myth that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland*, ophiophobics the world over celebrate Pat (who was actually English) for creating a snake-free refuge to have a drink. St. Patrick is one of the more fortunate saints in one regard: The whole banishing of snakes thing makes for some cute caricatures of him. Typically saints are depicted as sad, mournful, woe-ridden, downcast lonely souls trudging along in layers of heavy robes, a wood stick and a weird glowing orb around their heads. Some of the lady saints affect a more beatifically knowing smile and a Heavenward gaze, but they still have to schlepp around in robes and with that glowing orb around their head. There are loads of St. Patrick depictions that fall into the usual mournful pose, but there are also some really fun and funny depictions having to do with the snakes.
I think there's a bigger reason why St. Patrick's Day is so widely celebrated with libations: There are a lot of appropriate festive drink options to please a wide variety of tastes and tolerances. If it's brewed or distilled in Ireland, sláinte! If it's green, sláinte! Something for everyone of legal drinking age, sláinte!
Let's just get on with it, a few Irish and Ireland themed libations for your St. Patrick's Day enjoyment.
Sláinte!
This first one is fun, festive and will bring heart swelling pride to and Irish ex-patriot. I like to think of these as the Irish equivalent of the Fourth of July picnic staple - red, white and blue rocket popsicles. As pretty as they are, when it comes to layered drinks sometimes what works visually doesn't translate to a pleasing flavor combination. The Irish Flag offers both a visual and tasty drink experience.
1 part Green Crème de Menthe
1 part Bailey's® Irish Cream
1 part Grand Marnier®
Shot, shooter or cordial glass
In a cordial or shot glass, using a cocktail spoon carefully layer the ingredients in the order given (Crème de Menthe is the first/foundation layer.)
There are many (many) versions of the Snakebite. Typically Snakebites contain tequila and Tabasco®. I'm offering a green, less common version of a Snakebite for St. Patrick's Day.
Snakebite
1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse®
2 drops Tabasco® Sauce
Shot or shooter glass
Pour Green Chartreuse® into shot glass. Using cocktail spoon, gently and slowly layer vodka over Green Chartreuse®. Drop Tabasco® into center of shot, the drops should "plunk" through the vodka, Green Chartreuse® to the bottom of the glass.
Layered drinks/shots require the Four Ps: practice, precision, patience and the proper tool. This is where you'll use your cocktail spoon. A lot of bartenders don't like to "bother" with layered shots/drinks because it's all about time/labor intensive preparation and the presentation. It's a lot of work for a shot/short drink that will be consumed in seconds. Layered drinks can be made in any type of glass, but shot and shooter glasses, or cordial glasses work best for both the bartender and the drinker. Typically these are not sipping drinks, which is good because after the first swig, the remaining liquid in the glass, jostled in its hoist from bar to mouth, tends to blend together in what can be an unappealing color and texture combination. Some separation will remain, but if you were to make a layered high ball, for instance, you'd have an unappealing mass swirling in the glass after the first three or four sips. (Yes, this is the voice of experience talking.) Okay, gather your liqueurs, a proper cocktail spoon (yes, one that looks like that ======>), and a shot, shooter or cordial glass. If you're mixing these in a bar your liqueurs probably already have pour spouts, but if not, or if you're building these drinks at home, invest $3 or $4 (or less) in a metal/stainless bottle pour spout. (I don't like the plastic spouts, or the measured pour spouts that have a small ball inside the spout that acts as a governor. Both plastic and regulated spouts tend to get air pockets causing uneven pouring that stops/starts mid-pour.) It is absolutely imperative that you layer the liqueurs in precisely the right order. It is equally imperative that you do not omit or substitute a liqueur. The success of the layered shot depends wholly on the density and viscosity of the liqueurs being used. Typically layered shot drinks are measured in "parts" instead of the usual ounces. The pour measure depends on how many layers/liqueurs and what sort of glass you're using. Divide the number of ounces the glass holds by the number of ingredients. So, for a standard, equal part three layered shot in a 1 oz. shot glass you'll use ~1/3 oz. of each liqueur. For the same three layered shot in a 2 oz. shot glass you'll use 2/3 oz. of each liqueur. The measures don't have to be exact, but strive to get as close to exact as possible. There's a little leeway, but not a lot.
Let's get layering! Pour the foundation liqueur (typically the first ingredient in the recipe). Observe the height of the liqueur in the glass. This will be your visual measure for the remaining ingredients. For an easy example, if your foundation liquid is about 1/2", then the next layer should also be about a 1/2". So eyeball the 1" mark on the glass. Take your cocktail spoon and hold it at about a 45° angle so that the tip of the spoon is at the 1" mark. This serves two purposes: 1) you now have a pour gauge for your next liqueur, and 2) it prevents splashing and mixing of the two liqueurs. Gently and slowly pour the second ingredient, "funneling" it over the spoon into the glass, stopping when the liquid level reaches the tip of the spoon. Repeat with the remaining liqueurs. The long handle of the cocktail spoon seems silly, but you'll find the extra length extremely useful when you pour layered drinks that have four or five layers. You do not want to jostle or bump the glass when you're pouring these drinks, so the farther away your hands are from the glass, the more chance of success you'll have with your final presentation. Once you pour the last layer, carefully present the drink to the guest.
Emerald Isle
2 oz. Gin
1/4 oz. green Crème de Menthe
3 dashes bitters (regular, mint or orange)
Ice
Martini glass
(Mint leaf, chocolate curl or cherry garnish)
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Martini (vigorously) shake. Strain contents into martini glass. Garnish with mint leaf, chocolate or cherry.
The next drink is basically a Shamrock Shake® with an alcohol kick. However it is not a blended drink. It's one of the few ice cream drinks that is not blended. Think of it as an old fashioned ice cream soda...with booze.
Emerald Isle Cooler
1 oz. Irish Whisky (eg: Jameson®)
1 oz. green Crème de Menthe
2 oz. club soda dashes bitters (regular, mint or orange)
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream (optional)
Cherry
Collins glass
Iced tea/soda spoon
Soda pop straw
Scoop ice cream into a Collins glass. Lightly roll/blend whisky and crème de menthe and pour over ice cream. Gently swirl glass and content. Fill glass with club soda and gently stir. Serve with tall spoon and soda pop straw (larger diameter than a cocktail straw). Top with whipped cream and a cherry (optional).
Shamrock (#1)
1 1/2 oz. Irish Whiskey (eg: Jameson®)
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz. green Crème de Menthe
Olive
Martini glass
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Martini (vigorously) shake. Strain contents into martini glass. Garnish with olive.
Shamrock (#2)
1 1/2 oz. Irish Whiskey (eg: Jameson®)
1/2 oz. Kahlua®
1/2 oz. Bailey's® Irish Cream
Chocolate curl garnish
Martini glass
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Martini (vigorously) shake. Strain contents into martini glass. Garnish with chocolate curl.
The Snakebite (above) and the following cocktail are for the more adventurous. Why? Because they require Green Chartreuse®. Green Chartreuse® is a little pricey. It’s made by the Carthusian monks in France (which is a really interesting story) and has a very distinct flavor - herbal is the best (albeit vague) way to describe it. You can substitute Strega (which is a little sweeter than Chartreuse) or
Benedictine (less expensive and fairly easy to find). Some people compare Green Chartreuse® to Galliano but to my
palate the similarities are minute. Drambouie (which has the herbal punch that
Chartreuse® has) is a substitute option but since this is St. Patrick’s Day
we’ll keep Scotland out of the mix, literally. Note that none of these is an
exact substitute. Chartreuse, especially Green Chartreuse®, has a very distinct
flavor. It’s also potent – 110 proof – so if you venture into a bottle of Green
Chartreuse® keep in mind this is not
Crème de Menthe and use only a small amount. The flavor and proof will
overpower a drink and clear your sinuses. 
3/4 oz. Irish Whiskey (eg: Jameson®)
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse®
Martini glass
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Martini (vigorously) shake. Strain contents into martini glass. Garnish with chocolate curl.
2 oz. Irish Whiskey (eg: Jameson®)
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine
2 oz. club soda
Cherry or lemon twist garnish
Ice
Rocks or highball glass
Fill glass with ice and then pour that ice into a shaker. Add whiskey, lemon juice and grenadine. Gently roll. Pour all shaker contents including ice into glass. Fill to full with club soda. Garnish with cherry or lemon twist.
How about some lower proof drinks for those who want a lighter libation for their St. Patrick's Day celebration? Plenty of choices!
Grasshopper
1/2 oz. Green Crème de Menthe
1/2 oz. White Crème de Cacao
1 oz. 1/2 & 1/2 (not cream)
Ice
Mint leaf and/or chocolate curl garnish
Rock glass
Fill rocks glass with ice. Pour Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao over ice. Pour 1/2 & 1/2 and garnish with mint leaf and/or chocolate curl.
OR
Frozen Grasshopper
1/2 oz. Green Crème de Menthe
1/2 oz. White Crème de Cacao
1 scoop Vanilla Ice Cream
Mint leaf and/or chocolate curl garnish
Rock glass
Blender
Blend Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao, and ice cream in a blender just until smooth. Pour into rocks glass. Garnish with mint leaf and/or chocolate curl.
Mint Highball
2 oz. Green Crème de Menthe
4 oz. Ginger Ale
Lemon twist for garnish
Ice
Highball glass
Fill highball glass with ice. Pour Crème de Menthe over ice. Fill glass to top with ginger ale. Garnish with lemon twist.
Irish Coffee
1 oz. Irish Whiskey (eg: Jameson®)
1/2 oz. Bailey's® Irish Cream
1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
Hot, brewed Coffee
Whipped CreamGlass coffee cup (Irish coffee glass)
Pour whiskey and Bailey's® into Irish coffee glass. Fill glass with hot coffee. Spoon in brown sugar and gently stir. Top with whipped cream.
Nutty Irishman
1/2 oz. Frangelico®
1/2 oz. Bailey's® Irish Cream
Hot, brewed Coffee
Whipped Cream Glass coffee cup (Irish coffee glass)
Pour Frangelico® and Bailey's® into Irish coffee glass. Fill glass with hot coffee. Top with whipped cream.
Irish Kiss
3/4 oz. Bailey's® Irish Cream
3/4 oz. Kahlua® Coffee Liqueur
Hot, brewed Coffee
Whipped CreamGlass coffee cup (Irish coffee glass)
Pour Bailey's® and Kahlua® into Irish coffee glass, fill glass with hot coffee and top with whipped cream.
*There were never literal snakes in Ireland. However St. Pat's tireless efforts to convert the Irish to Christianity lends credence to him chasing figurative snakes - demons, evil doers in general - out of Ireland. I dunno. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the Irish had been left alone with their demons. Think about it. To stereotype and generalize for a moment, the Irish do enjoy a drink or two, so think about the debauchery and hijinks that would have ensued if St. Patrick hadn't demonized and banished their, well, snakes. Yeah. I'm guessing Amsterdam would be prudent bore of a destination in comparison to an Ireland with a few "snakes."
**Long associated with crazy people who sleep in alleys and talk to imaginary people/animals/monsters, Richards Wild Irish Rose is not, and never has been Irish. It's as American as McDonalds and just about the same age. It's a very sweet, fruity "beverage," back in the old days known as a table wine (a term not frequently used in America anymore), meaning, it is inexpensive and not pretending to be anything other than what it is: A cheap bottle of a fermented grape beverage. In Europe there are tougher alcohol labeling and classification standards, and the term table wine is a necessary demarcation that must appear on the label of bottles of wine that is a) the lowest classification standard and b) does not specify a region of origin. Inexpensive doesn't always equal bad tasting, and I've had a few European wines labeled table wine that were quite enjoyable. But. In America that's rarely the case. There are people who keep a dirty little secret under the kitchen sink - and that secret is very often Wild Irish Rose. I suspect a lot of suburban stay-at-home mothers in the '50s and '60s started nipping the stuff because it was cheap and easy - a few extra cents out of the grocery budget and a quick detour to the wine shelf at the grocery, voila! mother's little helper. And now those mothers are grandmothers and they're still nipping their under the kitchen sink stash. I have tasted it, and while it's not awful, should someone offer you a glass I cannot recommend more than a few polite sips. If you only have $2 and you want to get drunk, WIR will get you there, but I suspect you will regret it in the morning.
