6 Alternative Drinks to Order for St Patrick’s Day

Forget your typical Paddy’s day feed of lukewarm pints, pints, pints. This feast day, treat yourself to something a little different.

This Patrick’s Day will undoubtedly be somewhat the same as the rest. So take advantage of these Dublin businesses doing something a little different to liven up your feast day.

Poitin Cocktail from 1661. There is probably nothing more Irish than Poitin. This year it is having its long-awaited moment. So if you’re wary but want to engage in this generational reclamation of our long-suppressed heritage in a fun and informative way, then go all in on one of 1661’s Poitin cocktails.

My personal favourite is the Generation Six, but there is a whole kettle of fish to choose from and each tastes like a celebration of actual Irish culture and not the cheap Americanised version of it in green.

They’ll also be giving out Little&GREEN cans for free till five.

Staples in Dublin’s coffee game, Vice, will put some pep in your step and arm your cold hands this La Feile Phadraig. Their signature Irish Coffee blends Teeling Small Batch Whiskey and Imbibe coffee with demerara syrup. The 500ml pre-batched cocktails can be bought alongside special glasses if you feel like taking the party home. Otherwise, they’re made in-house to order.

Paddy’s Day is fueled by nostalgia, so why not drink some in the form of an ice cream beer? Porterhouse and Jackies teamed up to create Jackie’s, Tangle Twista. The fruity craft beer collab tastes like a smack in the face of summer in the form of pear and strawberry ice-cream style ale. Heavily dry-hopped with Amarillo, Galaxy & Mosaic, this little ditty is perfect for people who like a hoppy boy and for anyone who likes everything to taste like strawberries.

Celebrate the luxury of being Irish with one of Ireland’s best whiskies, Midleton Very Rare 2023. Ireland is so often associated with Jameson that we can forget we actually make a million other whiskies. And some pretty fancy ones too. MVR has a cult following, but there are always a few spots that will open the bottles you could never get your hands on unless you had the luck of the dammed. Popping into a quality whiskey bar and nabbing a glass of MVR is a rare and expensive treat, but it is the best way to celebrate getting rid of the snakes. Pop to Palace Bar temple bar for one, or if you really want to go hell for leather, hit up the Shelbourne.

Dublin 7’s Craft Cocktails have pulled some seriously green-looking cocktails out of the bag for Patrick’s Day. The Green St Sour is a classic sour made from the South American spirit Cocalero, combined with melon and aloe vera. The limited-edition drink is stocked in the likes of Lotts & Co, Decent Drinks Club, Hen’s Teeth Shop & Gallery. For a full list of their stockists or to order online click here.

Róisón Curley is Mayo’s vagabond winemaker with an unbelievably impressive amount of knowledge. This Master of Wine gets stuck in and makes everything with her own bare hands. She is best known for her Pinot Noir, but she also makes a banging Aligote. Not as common as Chardonnay, Aligoté is often forgotten in the melee of Burgundy, but this one is cracking paired with gooey cow’s milk cheeses. The 2019 vintage was a marred one, but this juice will open your mind like someone has taken a crowbar to your notions.

Available from 64 Wines, Neighbourhood Wine, Jus D’Vine, and more

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