10 a.m. — Bailey’s Breakfast
- Clif Reeder/Daily
The easy thing would be to just tilt a little Bailey’s Irish Cream into your morning coffee, but that won’t do if you want to start the day off with a buzz. To be safe, you better mix in something stronger. Try a Morning with the Leprechauns: 1.5 ounces of Bailey’s, 1 ounce of Jameson Irish Whiskey, 2 teaspoons of cherry brandy and 3 ounces of hot or cold coffee. Or for a sugar rush, take a shot of French Toast. Mix together a shot with one part Bailey’s, one part butterscotch schnapps and one part DeKuyper Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps.
12 p.m. — Sneaking a swig at lunch
Between classes, why not have a refreshing glass of lemonade with lunch? To make Danny’s Delight, first wash a lowball glass with Angostura bitters and ice and pour out the excess. Then mix one part sweet vermouth, one part Irish whiskey, one part Stone’s ginger wine and two parts lemonade. But if bad weather foils your plans to sip outside, the brave among you might attempt the Gloom Lifter: 2 ounces of whiskey, half an ounce of lemon juice, a squeeze of sugar syrup and half an egg white shaken and strained. It’s sure to make you feel something, if maybe not actually better.
5 p.m. — Redheaded Happy Hour
Now that you’re done with classes or have given up going to your last one, it’s time to celebrate with a proper Irish brew. Smithwick’s, an Irish red ale first produced in a brewery that began in a 14th century monastery, is one of Ireland’s oldest beers. Remember when you order it that the “w” is silent (say “Smiddicks”). If you’d rather enjoy something deeper and darker, go ahead and get a Guinness — 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the Irish porter.
8 p.m. — Celtic cocktails
While you’re putting on your green tights or painting your chest as part of your St. Pat’s ensemble, sip on one of these cocktails. For something simple and sweet, mix up an Emerald Cocktail with one part Irish whiskey, one part melon liqueur and three parts ginger ale, poured over ice in a highball glass, stirred and garnished with a slice of lime. To try your hand at more sophisticated mixology, serve up some Irish Riders. Combine an ounce of whiskey, three ounces sweet and sour mix and a quarter ounce triple sec. Shake with ice, pour into a martini glass and drizzle a quarter ounce of raspberry liqueur on top.
11 p.m. — Going out green
Hit the bars and the frats. Tally a few Irish car bombs and wash them down with green keg beer. Duh.
SOURCES: DrinksMixer.com, Smithwick.ie and Guinness.com