If only Saint Patrick had lived long enough to see the fruits of his labor, a day when everyone – regardless of their ties back to the country of Ireland – could come together and celebrate everything Irish.
Like every major holiday, St. Paddy’s Day brings a set of traditions to gently guide you on what to eat, drink, wear, and sing very loudly.
Whether the day calls for drinking with friends or corraling the neighborhood to your home, these St. Patrick’s Day food and drink combos are the tastiest way to celebrate this long-gone fifth-century Romano-British Christian bishop – oh, also Ireland.
Make your St. Patty’s Day meal, as the Irish say, très magnifique when you Drizly over these Irish-inspired drinks.
Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur + Irish Cream Cheesecake
A bottle that always manages to find itself passed around the post-dinner table, Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur blends premium Irish dairy cream with chocolate, vanilla, spirits, and whiskey for a 34-proof classic that works wonders when paired with anything sweet.
Made with cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and Baileys, this is the kind of cheesecake you’re gonna want to eat after completing any major physical activity. Pro-tip: mix your Baileys with a cup of coffee to jolt you out of your sugary slumber.
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey + Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
The secret ingredient that gives this Irish whiskey its spicy, sweet taste? Rum. Well, Central American rum barrels used to age the whiskey to perfection if we’re being specific.
It’s this distinctive maturing process that brings out Teeling’s dried fruit profile, which is best complemented with a couple of slices of hearty Irish cheese. The nuttiness of the cheese dances with whiskey’s sweetness (thanks to those rum barrels) for a DIY cheeseboard without the board.
Jameson Irish Whiskey + Beef Stew
There’s no wrong way – or day – to drink Jameson; it just makes the most sense to sip this gold-standard Irish whiskey on a day devoted to Irish stuff. Triple-distilled and aged in oak casks for at least four years, Jameson is the gold standard bottle your grandparents drank neat with a bowl of beef stew on the side.
As such, Nagi Maehashi’s beef stew recipe calls for an entire can of Guinness Draught poured into the stew for a hearty broth that shockingly doesn’t taste at all like alcohol. Swap the traditional Beaujolais pairing for a Jameson soda to keep you from feeling too weighed down at the end. Also 99.9% sure Beaujolais come from France, but this is not a geography website.
Bushmills Irish Whiskey + Irish Soda Bread
Also known as “currant bread,” Irish soda bread is traditionally made with butter, flour, sugar, and dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, and currents.
When paired with a lighter grain malt whiskey like Bushmills, the dried fruit in the bread brings out this whiskey’s tantalizing body of Spanish sherry and grain.
Redbreast 12 Year Old + Corned Beef and Cabbage
An Irish whiskey as full-flavored and complex as Redbreast becomes even more magical when combined with the salty, briny taste of the classic corned beef and cabbage. Like many of the whiskies on this list, Redbreast’s award-winning 12-year-old bottle is aged in both bourbon and sherry casks before making its way to your glass.
Guinness Draught + Dublin Coddle Stew
Don’t let the name weird you out, Dublin coddle is a simple stew made of sausage, potatoes, and bacon, typically eaten with a can of Guinness on the side. Pro-tip: add the proverbial pot of gold to the end of the metaphorical rainbow with a dram of Tullamore D.E.W. on the side.
Go beyond green beer when you grab these St. Paddy’s Day favorites from Drizly.
