"Every nation needs its own identity. In its whiskey, Ireland has something that is both genuinely unique and almost timeless... No one, though, has ever been able to re-create by accident or design the extraordinary, mouth-watering qualities of traditional Irish whiskey."
-- Three time Whisky Writer of the Year Jim Murray from his book, Jim Murray's Complete Book of Whisky, Carlton Books, 1999)
HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY
In its native Ireland, the infamous night of drinking known as St. Patrick's Day isn't quite the mad party it has become in other parts of the world. Learn more about the holiday forever linked to the Emerald Isle.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is not the boisterous, sometimes rowdy festival we enjoy in North America. There are parades, and there's drinking, but it certainly isn't green. Most likely, it's a dark stout or Irish whiskey.
The Irish version is primarily a religious and bank holiday, celebrated by relaxing at home with family and friends after church mass. In that spirit, let's concentrate on Patrick, the man behind the myth.
Read more about the history of St. Patrick's Day
IRISH WHISKEY AND IRISH COCKTAILS
The Irish and Americans spell it whiskey while the Scottish and Canadians spell it whisky. Whatever you call it, this golden elixir can be placed in the same rankings as fire and the wheel.
The distillation of Irish whiskey has a long history, though no one quite knows when it first began. Some sources place it as early as the 6th century when Irish monks brought the distillation process back from the Middle East. While we may never know for sure, the distillation process in Ireland is surely hundreds of years old and we can be thankful for those years of experience and perfection, years that have brought us to the stage we are at today.
Learn more about Irish whiskey and enjoy 13 Irish cocktail recipes.
IRISH COFFEE
Irish actor and musician Alex Levine once opined, "Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, fat." Truer words were never spoken about this wonderfully warm libation.
From 1939 to 1945 Joseph Sheridan was the head chef of a catering company based at the Shannon Airport (20 miles north of Limerick, Ireland). Joseph Sheridan was taxed with trying to find a suitable drink for passengers who had traveled for 18 hours by seaplane and then had to travel by boat to the terminal.
Hot coffee and tea was obviously not enough to take the chill out of the passengers so Sheridan began to offer an alternative. His mix of Irish whiskey and coffee became known as Irish Coffee, and Joseph had secured his place in drink history.
More about Irish coffee, including the original recipe.
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