Top 'o the Mornin to Ya!

Tomorrow morning when you wake up you will suddenly have an urge to start the day with a beer, more specifically some green beer! It's something in the air on Saint Patricks day that prompts us to want to drink all day! How did this religious day turn into such a booze fest? What if our Irish ancestors could see us now! Saint Patricks day has never really meant much to me, party because I never used to drink until I came to college and partly because no one in my family has ever looked into our family history so I don't even know what nationality I am. But it wasn't until I came to college that I began celebrating the infamous 'get black out drunk' day. At first experience, we had a blast! Getting up at 4am to go to a party until 9am, pass out drunk, wake up at noon to go to the parade, pass out again drunk wake up at 10pm to go out for the night, made for a very long day but made some memories that we will never get again, especially because I will never be able to do that again! Now, just three years later I have absolutely no desire to spend my Saturday in a crowded bar getting beer poured all over me by a bunch of drunk old guys! No thanks! I am not envious at all of my friends who are going down to the city for the parade, am I really getting old??

Anyways, I offered to work on Saturday night in attempt to avoid the typical Saint Patrick's Day crowd. If you are in the same boat, then here's some things you could do to stay in and have a great Saint Patrick's Day party!

Irish Manhatan 

(stolen from Bon Appetit) 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Jameson Irish Whisky
• 3/4 ounce Noilly Prat sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 can Guinness
• 
  

Preparation

• Add the whisky, vermouth, and bitters to an empty mixing glass, then add enough ice to fill the glass 2/3 of the way full. Stir for 20 seconds and then strain into a Martini glass.
• Pour Guinness into a cold glass large enough to hold the whole can plus a little extra (16-24 oz.). After pouring, wait about 90 seconds for the Guinness to settle. Carefully spoon all of the light brown foam from the top of the Guinness and place it gently on top of the drink, in the Martini glass.
• Optional: To make the shamrock, fill an atomizer or small spray bottle with Angostura bitters. Using either a stencil or a thick paper cut-out of a shamrock you made yourself, lightly place the sheet on top of the foam. Spray with the atomizer. Remove stencil sheet and serve.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/03/irishmanhattan#ixzz1pJM6c85T

Apple Martini

1 part Absolute Vodka 
1 part Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps 
1 part apple juice 


To spice things up, rim the glass with cinnamon! 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

(Stolen from Pinterest) 

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

To add some decorations, put a candy rainbow on top of these cupcakes.