I hope you all enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day, a day where everyone is Irish, no questions asked. What did you do? Drink some Guinness, put on everything green you own, wear that shamrock headband, and dance like a leprechaun? Well, that’s all fun, but there are things you could do to change things up in your typical celebration of St. Patrick’s day. If you feel like continuing with the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, then try these ideas for the coming weekend.
First of all, you must play Irish music at your party, but not the traditional old-school bagpipe music. That’s all good, but you’re better off keeping the playlist contemporary. Get some Irish bands like U2, The Script, and The Pogues on your playlist, and any artist that praises Ireland or Boston, like Sammy Adams and the Dropkick Murphys. Also, “Irish Celebration” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is a must. Seriously, add that song to your playlist, ASAP.
If you are over 21 and plan on serving alcoholic drinks there are plenty of options beyond the old standards Harp and Guinness. There are a lot of delicious Irish drinks you could make if you want to mix things up. For example, there’s a drink called Everybody’s Irish—a perfect name for a St. Patrick’s Day beverage. The recipe calls for Irish whiskey, green crème de menthe, and green chartreuse.
You could also try Irish Julep. It consists of Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, DeKuyper Creme de Menthe, half and half, and mint spring for garnish.
And of course, there is always-reliable Irish coffee: coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar, and whipping cream. For a non-alcoholic drink, just get some mint ice cream and make a mint frappe. It’s simply delicious.
There are plenty of websites you can go to for drink recipes. Just go to Google, type in “St. Patrick’s Day drinks” and explore your options.
After the music and drinks are selected, your next choice is what to offer for food. You could go with the traditional Corned Beef, cabbage and potatoes, but there are other options that might go over better. There are lots of St. Patrick’s Day treats you could serve: lucky charms trail mix, St. Patrick’s Day jello cookies, mint chocolate fudge, green velvet cupcakes, and decorative cookies.
So you have music, drinks and food picked out, now just paint yourself green and you’re all set. Just kidding. But seriously, I’m all about creating new traditions, but there is no way you can wear any other color but green. If you unfortunately don’t have any green in your closet, get some green beads at the dollar store, or you could paint a green shamrock on your face.
Whatever you decide to do for your celebration, please be safe. You don’t need a horrific episode to spoil your fun.
And now, I will leave you with an Irish toast: May the sound of happy music and the lilt of Irish laughter fill your heart with gladness, that stays forever after.