Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Other stories

Shake it up in shades of green

Step away from the green beer. Now step up to the bar and order an emerald libation spiked with a colorful liqueur.

By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published March 14, 2007

Saturday is a fine day for drinking, not fretting about the impure mischief of those who would be Irish for a day.

Sure, that pint of Guinness or wee dram of Bushmills or Jameson's is grand in plain brown or amber the year round. But St. Patrick's is a day for frolickin' and wearin' o' the green by man, woman, beast, beer and anything else at the bar.

Celebrate in color, and if you're above green beer, cocktails can go emerald, too. It's easy, says Hiram Hernandez, who has been behind the bar at Dan Marino's in St. Petersburg for almost five years.

"You just reach around for a liqueur," he says.

In the liqueur spectrum of intense color and flavor, green is found in creme de menthe, Midori and other melon liqueurs, absinthe and the grand herbal Chartreuse of Carthusian monks.

Over a century of St. Patrick's Days, bartenders have used them all to turn whiskey, coffee, cream and vodka green in shooters, parfaits and mugs.

Here's a simple one, the Emerald Isle, from a 70-year-old bar guide. Liqueur, gin and bitters aren't Irish, but they are quite green and surprisingly well-balanced. Gin cuts the sweetness, and mint rounds out the gin.

*   *   *

Drinks

Emerald Isle

2 ounces gin

1 teaspoon creme de menthe (or to taste)

3 drops Angostura bitters

Shake with ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lime, lemon zest, green maraschino cherry or fresh mint.

[Last modified March 13, 2007, 11:11:18]