Irish Blood, American Heart

Whether or not you’re 100 percent Irish-Catholic and from Boston, or claim heritage from Spain and live in Santa Fe, N.M., it seems like everyone has a little bit of Irish to claim on St. Patrick’s Day. This bountiful day falls in the category of random holidays we are all lucky to celebrate together here at AU, mostly because no one is truly justified in going home on the premise of drinking green beer with his or her parents (okay, so that’s probably untrue). Nonetheless, like Valentine’s Day and Halloween, the Eagle is here to provide you a quick look at some of the options out there for partying, eating and drinking like a leprechaun and maybe even some trivia, too!

As far as celebrations are concerned, Peter DeMaio, a junior in School of Communication, wants to keep it straightforward this year.

“In a simple sense we’re going to probably wear green and get drunk. But we plan on making some traditional Irish meals. What the meals will lack in flavor we’ll make up for with the taste of Jameson and Irish car bombs,” he said.

Washington College of Law student Timothy Foden wants to keep it even simpler.

“Class and then Guinness ... Mmmm, Guinness.”

But no matter what we suggest, if worse comes to worse, there’s always that green beer. Because nothing says “luck o’ the Irish” like embarrassing yourself in front of your floor-mates with a ring of green booze around your mouth.

Drinks o’ the Irish: DIY

For many, St. Patrick’s Day is all about the drinking. Here are three popular drinks to mix up before hitting up the pubs.

Irish Car Bomb
1/2 pint Guinness
1 oz. Jameson
1/2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Pour Guinness into a pint glass. Float Baileys on top of Jamison in shot glass. Drop shot glass, carefully, into Guinness. Drink quickly before it curdles.

Irish Coffee
1 oz. Jameson
Coffee
Heavy Cream
1 tbsp. brown sugar
Fill glass with hot water to pre-heat then empty. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full. Add 1 tbsp. brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Blend in Jameson. Top with a collar of slightly whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over a spoon. Enjoy while piping hot.

Irish Kiss
1 1/2 oz. Bushmills
1 oz. peach schnapps
2 oz. orange juice
5 oz. ginger ale
Build in rocks glass with ice and garnish with a wedge of lime.

For more drink ideas, visit cocktail.com.

Have fun, stay safe

St. Patrick’s Day Trivia:

St. Patrick was actually born in Great Britain to Roman parents, before being brought to Ireland in captivity and sold as a slave at age 16. He eventually escaped, studied religion in Europe and returned to Ireland as a bishop at age 42 to convert pagans. 

34 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, nearly nine times the entire population of Ireland.

Irish is among the top five declared ancestries in every U.S. state except Hawaii and New Mexico.

Nine places in the United States share the same name as Dublin, Ireland’s capital city. Dublin, Calif., is the largest, followed by Dublin, Ohio.

Green food and beverages and St. Patrick’s Day parades are an American interpretation, and were never part of traditional feasting festivities in Irish history.

St. Patrick’s Day Bar-Hopping Tips:

Expect most establishments to accept cash payment only.

Long lines will form, so show up early. Also, keep a non-Irish bar in mind as a backup rendezvous point.

Don’t expect to be able to find a seat. Most bars will clear out tables to make room for more partiers.

Use SoberRide for free taxi rides home from 4 p.m. today until 4 a.m. Friday.  Any cab fare under $50 is covered; otherwise, you pay the difference.  Simply call 1-800-200-TAXI (#TAXI for Cingular Wireless users) and allow 30-60 minutes for pickup. You must be 21 to get a ride.

Grab a pint on St. Patty’s day

The Irish Times
14 F St. NW, (202) 543-5433
Metro: Union Station (Red Line)
An annual hit with college-age patrons, The Times is Washington’s self-proclaimed oldest Irish bar. Four corner satellite bars will be set up inside to make up for a lack of outdoor seating and expedite the pouring of pints. Live acoustic music upstairs and a DJ spinning downstairs, with a $10 cover charge beginning in the afternoon.

McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon
2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, (202) 223-2338
In the early bird spirit, McFadden’s will kick off this year’s St. Pat’s celebration with $1 drafts from 8 to 11 a.m. “Beat the clock” drink specials will follow for the rest of the day, but Guinness pints and Jameson’s drinks will remain $5 all day long. A special Irish menu will be available all day.

Ireland’s Four Provinces
3412 Connecticut Ave. NW, (202) 244-0860
Metro: Cleveland Park (Red Line)
Previously voted D.C.‘s “Best Irish Bar” on washingtonpost.com, The Four Provinces clears out all of its tables and chairs on St. Patty’s Day to cram ‘em in. Expect a limited food menu, but a day’s worth of entertainment from Celtic Band Atlantic Bridge. $10 cover charge.

Mackey’s Public House
1823 L St. NW, (202) 331-7667
Metro: Farragut North (Red Line)
Mackey’s will feature live St. Pat’s Day entertainment from 5 to 9 p.m., followed by a DJ into the late-night hours. Six big TVs will display March Madness basketball during the day as well. After 4 p.m., a $5 cover charge applies.

Finn Mac Cool’s
713 Eighth St. SE, (202) 547-7100
Metro: Eastern Market (Orange and Blue Lines)
This low-key, lesser-known comfortable neighborhood pub near Capitol Hill plans to set up seven bars and utilize the outdoor patio (if the weather permits). Celtic bands Flying Crows of Ventry and Wolf Creek Session will provide entertainment during the day, with Celtic party band Scythian playing from 9 p.m. to close. $10 cover charge.

For more ideas, check out washingtonpost.com.

Food

While Irish cuisine is not always the most popular, sometimes taste must be sacrificed to celebrate traditions. Here are three classical Irish recipes that make meat and potatoes better than ever:

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup raisins
1 3/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375øF. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.
Sift together 4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar, caraway and raisins. Add buttermilk and stir until dough is evenly moistened but still lumpy.
Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and gently knead with floured hands about eight times to form a soft but slightly less sticky dough. Halve dough and form into two balls. Pat out each ball into a domed 6-inch round on baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep X on top of each loaf with a sharp knife, then brush loaves with butter.
Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to racks to cool completely.
Makes two 6-inch loaves.

Corn Beef and Cabbage
5 pounds corned brisket of beef
6 peppercorns, or packaged pickling spices
3 carrots, peeled and quartered
3 onions, peeled and quartered
1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges
Melted butter (about 4 tablespoons)
Place the corned beef in water to cover with the peppercorns or mixed pickling spices (in supermarkets, these often come packaged with the corned beef). Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer five hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add the carrots and onions and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter, and brush the vegetables with the melted butter. Serve with boiled parsley potatoes, cooked separately. (The stock can be saved to add to a pot roast or stew instead of other liquid.)
Serves six, with meat left over for additional meals.

Guinness Stout Ice Cream
1 cup Guinness stout (or any stout beer)
1 cup whole milk
2 cups cream
2 ounces glucose syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup egg yolks
Bring beer, milk, cream, glucose and sugar to a boil, and drizzle into the egg yolks while whisking vigorously. Heat to 185ø F, stirring constantly, and pour through a fine sieve and chill over an ice bath. When ice cream base is cold, freeze in an ice cream machine.

For more information on these recipes, visit foodtv.com or epicurious.com.