St. Paddy’s partiers are known to enjoy a green beer or two (or three) on what is one of the busiest days of the year for Irish pubs. It wasn’t always like that, though. Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day was a sober holiday in Ireland as bars there were closed on this day. But North Americans changed that, and now, it’s not just green beer that’s enjoyed every March 17th. There are plenty of other options to choose from while still staying in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit.
Irish Beer:
In fact, according to Jay Wright – the manager of the Druid Irish pub in Edmonton, it’s actually black beer (like Guinness), not green, that “real Irish people” will drink on St. Paddy’s.
He predicts his bartenders will serve anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 pints of Guinness this St. Patrick’s Day. Around the world, Wright thinks 11 million pints of it will be poured.
Wright explains that it takes about two minutes to pour a perfect pint of Guinness, so be patient with it. You can see how it’s done in the video below:
He also clears up one common misconception: “People think it’s a really heavy beer or it’s like a meal in a glass. It’s not. It’s actually a light beer, it’s got less calories than a Coors light. It’s got less calories than skim milk actually, too.”
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Gurvinder Bhatia has some other suggestions if you’re not sold on Guinness: Kilkenny (a cream ale that starts slightly sweet and ends with hoppy bitterness; and The Harp (a lager that’s “clean, smooth, refreshing (and) not as heavy as the cream ales people associate with Irish beers.”)
Irish Whiskey:
If your tastes are slightly more refined, you may also opt for an Irish whiskey (like Bushmills or Jameson Gold Reserve), which tend to be triple distilled for purity and smoothness, according to Bhatia.
St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails:
Not a fan of beer or whiskey? There are still many green drinks you can enjoy.
Check out these three delicious suggestions.
Non-alcoholic options:
You don’t need alcohol to have fun on St. Paddy’s. Click here for a sample of virgin Irish drink recipes.
Drink Responsibly:
“The number one thing people need to remember to do,” says Leila Moulder, with the Edmonton chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), “ is before you even leave your house to go to your plans, is to make your plan as to how that night’s going to end. So put into action already before your night even begins, how you’re getting home.”
Jay Wright echoes that sentiment.
“We have numbers they can call to get their car home safe,” he says. “We can call them a cab, we encourage people to kind of plan ahead and we certainly offer free coffee and pop for designated drivers that come down too.”
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