What's more authentic than toasting St. Patrick's Day with some good Irish whiskey, and sitting down to a dinner of corned beef and cabbage? How about toasting St. Patrick's Day with a cocktail of good Irish whiskey mixed with with corned beef and cabbage...

Richard Blais, a top chef known for his Molecular Gastronomy, is turning up the heat, and mixing in the meat, this St. Patrick’s Day with his unique corned beef and cabbage cocktail: The "Corned Beef Collins." He's taken Ireland’s best... Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, savory corned beef drippings, and a splash of cabbage water, and combined them to make one of the most unusual cocktails you've ever had. And one that's surprisingly drinakble. (Depending on how much straight whiskey you've had first...)

And, because no smart Irishman should drink on an empty stomach, Chef Blais has prepared a gourmet meal using his own brand of molecular gastronomy: Corned beef cooked in Michael Collins Whiskey, brown sugar and mustard with cabbage and oak smoked potato cannelloni. A recipe sure to make St. Patty proud!

The Corned Beef and Cabbage Cocktail: The "Corned Beef Collins"
1 1/2 oz Michael Collins blended whiskey
2 oz Fresh sour mix
2 oz Club soda
1 eye droplet of Corned beef extract (corned beef drippings from pan)
1 splash Cabbage water
Corned beef spices and cabbage oak, aroma

Shake whiskey, corned beef extract and sour mix with ice.
Pour into Collins glass and top with club soda.
Smoke corned beef spice blend (bay leaf, black pepper, coriander, salt, mustard seed) with oak chips and present smoke suspended in covered, inverted glass.
To serve, remove glass to infuse the air with the smell of corned beef and enjoy!

Chef Richard Blais' Corned Beef Cooked in Michael Collins Whiskey with Potato and Cabbage Cannelloni

Corned Beef:
1. Take a fat piece of corned beef and lather it in equal parts light brown sugar, corning spices, a few splashes of Michael Collins Irish Whiskey and a mild mustard.

2. Cover in 2 layers of aluminum foil and Cook in a 275 degree oven over night, or for 8-10 hours.

Potato and Cabbage Cannelloni:

1. Cut off the bottom core of your cabbage and simmer in water with corning spices and a touch of butter

2. When just cooked to tender, remove cabbage and chill. Reserve cabbage water for cocktails!

3. Remove the individual cabbage leaves as "sheets" . What isn't a nice sheet, chop up with some parsley and mix into your mashed potato.

4. In each sheet, place a line of mashed potato and roll up to form "cannelloni"

5. To serve the cannelloni, mix some instant potato flakes with grated Irish cheddar and room temperature butter. Top the cannelloni with this
mixture and broil or torch to desired crispness.

Slice the corned beef and serve with the whiskey drippings alongside one of the cabbage and potato cannelloni.