St. Patrick's Day has arrived and before we dive into the classic "pot of gold" and "pinching leprechaun" tropes, I figured we'd shed a little light on the history of the Feast of Saint Patrick and offer you a delicious recipe in celebration of the man, the saint, the legend.
Originally established as a religious holiday commemorating the death of St. Patrick in the 5th century, the St. Patrick's Day that we know today has become much more of an Irish cultural celebration that is observed around the world by drinking heavily and turning everything green. Saint Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to the mostly Pagan Irish, and it's said that he converted the Irish by explaining the Holy Trinity to them with a shamrock, which is why the color green is also so important to the holiday. Fascinating stuff, right?
This celebration, taking place during the period of Christian Lent, historically meant that Lenten restrictions of eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, encouraging feasting and the current tradition of heavy drinking. The tradition of "drowning" or "wetting the shamrock" is historically popular in Ireland and describes the act of putting a three-leaved shamrock in the bottom of a cup and filling it with cider, beer, or Irish whiskey. One then drinks it and toasts to St. Patrick. If you swallow the shamrock, it's good luck and if you don't swallow it, well, don't worry you can take it out of the cup, throw it over your shoulder, and still be lucky.
Speaking of luck, you'll feel lucky after sipping on THE GREATEST IRISH COFFEE OF ALL TIME courtesy of the lovely Lexy.
spiced irish coffee
for this recipe you'll need:
2oz Irish Whiskey
.75 oz rich demerara syrup*
5oz hot coffee
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 bottles of Underberg
1 tsp of Spicewalla Green Cardamom Powder
1 tsp of Spicewalla Cinnamon Powder
Spicewalla Cinnamon Sticks for garnish (optional)
*Demerara syrup: 1 part boiling water : 2 parts demerara sugar - stir to dissolve.
1. Combine 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 bottles of Underberg and a teaspoon of Spicewalla Green Cardamom Powder.
2. Whip cream lightly until soft peaks form, but don't over whip it!
1. Add whiskey and demerara syrup to a pre-warmed mug (fill mug with hot water first, it will keep your drink warmer longer!)
2. Pour hot coffee into mug, and stir well to combine your ingredients.
3. Use the back of a spoon to slowly layer your lightly-whipped Underberg Cardamom cream on top, being careful not to break the coffee layer!
4. Grate or sprinkle your beautifully fragrant Spicewalla Cinnamon right on top, and voila! You just made the greatest Irish Coffee of all time.
