St. Paddy’s Day – Go green or go home!!

Green beer may be the thing to drink on St. Patrick’s Day when you are 21, but for those of you who want to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland with a bit more flourish, follow me as we search for the luck of the Irish by trying out some of the more sophisticated green cocktails.

Okay, I will admit that back in my university days I downed a pitcher (or a few more than that, who is really counting) of that notorious green beer. However, with those days far behind me I figured it was time to find some other way to celebrate St. Patrick. To start my quest, I figured a little history lesson was in order.

In the 4^th century, Patrick was born in Roman Britain. When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland. He eventually was able to escape captivity and headed to the coast (apparently pushed to do so because of a dream in which God appeared), where he boarded a ship and returned to Britain. Upon his arrival in Britain he joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who were both deacons.

In 432, Patrick felt called back to Ireland, this time as a bishop and not a slave, to Christianise the Irish from their native polytheism. According to Irish folklore he used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. He died on March 17, 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Since his death there have been many successful missions, some considered more so, to Ireland from Rome however Patrick was still considered the champion of Irish Christianity and is held in high esteem in the Irish Church.

Now, I had mentioned that I was on the search for green cocktails, but what I learned along the way is that the colour originally associated with St. Patrick was blue! Over the years however, the blue shifted to green and it became ‘his colour’, with shamrocks and green ribbons being worn as early as the 17^th century. So, blue cocktails are just gonna have to wait until the Cookie Monster gets his own day.

Okay, enough boring history stuff, let’s get mixing!! Here are a few of my favourite green cocktails to get you over the ‘so over’ green beer.

After 8 Martini

2 oz vodka

1/2 oz green crème de menthe

1 oz white crème de cacao

dark chocolate curl (optional)

Pour all liquid ingredients over ice in a shaker, shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a chocolate curl if desired.

Comments: To start, I could easily get my rant on with the whole ‘martini’ thing (a martini is not a martini because it is served in a martini glass!) but I don’t have the energy (for now) so will focus on ‘other’. I have seen variations on this cocktail on many recipe websites with garnishes of cocoa powder, chocolate shavings and chocolate powder, and have to say that I tried all three and was definitely unimpressed with the results! The powders tend to mix through the drink, destroying the appearance and adding nothing to the flavour. The shavings on the other hand, made for an unpleasant mouth feel. Do you want your cocktail to ‘eat like a meal’? I think not. If you feel the desire to garnish, practice making chocolate curls and hook one over the side of the glass. I’m not patient enough for that, but hey, you’re welcome to give it a ‘curl’ ;).

Tasting notes: surprisingly not cloyingly sweet; perfect mix of chocolate and mint; beautiful!!!

Grasshopper

1 oz green crème de menthe

1 oz light cream

1 oz white crème de cacao

Mix all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Strain the ingredients into a shot glass to create a shooter, if you prefer.

Comments: I actually served this in a large liqueur glass as it isn’t that large a serving. Just make sure that your glass is clear, as you want to be able to see the beautiful pale mint colour. I suspect that this would be a good drink to soothe an upset stomach the morning after a little too much green beer.

Tasting Notes: mmmm, just like a melted Peppermint Patty – so smooth, so creamy, definite decadence….

Irish Screwdriver

1 1/2 shots vodka

1 shot blue curaçao

1/2 shot Rose’s lime cordial

2 shots pulp-free orange juice

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add ice if desired.

Comments: I love this drink! It is a gorgeous opaque emerald and tastes much better than you might expect. Girly enough to survive an umbrella and an orange slice on the rim, but manly enough for the wannabe quarterback in your life. Just make sure that you use pulp-free orange juice.

Tasting notes: has a kick but the alcohol does not overpower the drink; nice emerald colour; a bit fruity but not too sweet