5 St. Patrick’s Day Drinks to Tip Other Than Guinness

No need to explain what goes on during the typical St. Patty’s Day celebration, the endless drinking of pints, the parades, the search for leprechauns, and the March 18th morning walk of shame.

But if you’re looking for something to tip other than the usual pint tonight, here are five party appropriate cocktails from the chefs over at Food Network. And because those guys don’t just create food and beverage goodness, they also educate, you’ll find not only the recipes, but a little bit of knowledge dropped on you. Plus, the recipe for Irish Coffee even has a video that shows you the history and proper technique for mixing this hot libation.

So when they’re picking you up off the pub floor, you can describe in eloquent terms, the drink that got you down there.

Semi-Homemade Irish Cream
Prep Time: 10 min. / Level: Easy / Serves: 4 servings
Sandra’s Semi-Homemade Irish cream is a fully homemade take on a popular Irish liqueur. The mixture of Irish whiskey and heavy cream brings together two of Ireland’s proudest traditions: distilling and dairy farming. Sandra’s version, which brings chocolate and coffee into the mix, makes it a truly luscious libation, the perfect drink for a perfect St. Paddy’s day.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Irish Whiskey
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

In the container of an electric blender, combine cream, evaporated milk, condensed milk, whiskey, chocolate syrup and coffee; process until smooth. Let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Irish Coffee

Prep Time: 5 min / Cook Time: 5 min / Level: Easy / Serves: 1 serving
Irish coffee is a carefully composed caffeinated cocktail of cold, lightly whipped heavy cream floated atop a mixture of strong, sweetened hot coffee and stronger whiskey (Irish of course). The coffee-whiskey is meant to be sipped through the cream (like a cappuccino, only way better). As such, the drink is never stirred. With its striking white cream ‘head,’ the drink has the look of a well-poured pint of good Irish stout in miniature.
Ingredients
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 jigger Irish whiskey (1 1/2 ounces or 3 tablespoons)
Heavy cream, slightly whipped

Stout Float
Prep Time: 5 min / Cook Time: 8 min / Level: Easy / Serves: 1 drink
There is something downright synergistic about the combination of Irish stout and ice cream. (Could this be the luck of the Irish?) The bitterness of the stout plays irresistibly against the sweetness of the ice cream. The stout’s coffee and chocolate notes soar over a vanilla baseline. The drink itself bears an uncanny resemblance to a well-poured pint. Could there be a better way to celebrate St. Pat?
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Stout Syrup, recipe follows, or more to taste
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 scoop chocolate ice cream
1 (12-ounce) bottle stout (recommended: Guinness)

Drizzle syrup into a tall glass. Add a scoop each of vanilla and chocolate ice creams. Top with stout and serve immediately, to adults only!

Black Velvet
Prep Time: 5 min / Level: Easy / Serves: 1
What is St. Patrick’s day without a pint of Irish stout? Here’s a brilliant and utterly unexpected use for the stuff. The Black Velvet, a drink of equal parts Irish stout and champagne, is prime evidence that opposites do attract. Irish stout is a gloriously heavy, roasty, bitter murk; champagne its opposite: bright, sparkly, zingy. Ever since the drink’s invention in 1861—born, according to legend, to commemorate the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband—these opposites have been complementing one another to marvelous effect. The champagne lends an acidic top note, the stout lends a creamy weight. Together they’re hard to resist.
Ingredients
1/2 Guinness, or another stout, room temperature
1/2 champagne, chilled

Pour the stout and champagne into a pint glass and serve.

Madeline’s Kiss
Prep Time: 10 min / Cook Time: 1 min / Level: Easy / Serves: 1 drink
Madeline’s Kiss is basically an Irish-accented hot chocolate for grownups—an indulgent blend of Irish cream, coffee, and orange liqueurs, stirred with hot chocolate and crowned with whipped cream. Irish cream originated, it is said, as an ancient Irish cure for an upset stomach: a nip of whiskey and cream before bed, a soothing balm. Regardless of the state of your stomach, St. Paddy’s Day is a great time to reacquaint yourself with this brilliant concoction, and Madeline’s Kiss is a great way to reacquaint yourself with Irish cream.
Ingredients
3/4 ounce orange liqueur
3/4 ounce Irish cream liqueur
3/4 ounce coffee liqueur
4 ounces hot chocolate
Whipped cream, for garnish

Combine the liqueurs in a large mug and microwave on high for 15 seconds. Add the hot chocolate and stir; top with whipped cream.