Smashed Leprechaun/Irish Luck

March 17, 2010 (Day 46) — Smashed Leprechaun/Irish Luck

This is actually the same drink, only one is with alcohol and one is with sparkling grape juice. Guess which one is which.

Hell yeah.

But, as I mentioned in my post last night, Jenn and I really REALLY like St. Patrick’s Day. How much? We made an authentic Irish meal for dinner tonight, coupled with a themed drink, along with my Irish whiskey that I sipped all night. And Guinness. And Harp. So what was on the menu?

Other than FUN!!!!!

Main course: Irish pot roast with Guinness au jus. This was great. A 3.5 pound roast from the local butcher shop, marinated in Guinness, cooked with fresh rosemary, garlic and thyme.

Side: Colcannon. This is a kind of Irish mashed potato with cabbage, bacon (in place of salt pork or corned beef) and leeks.

Bread: Traditional Irish soda bread.

Dessert: Okay, this isn’t very authentic. This was lofthouse cookies with green frosting and clover sprinkles. But it was themed!

It looks bad. But it tasted WAAAAAY good.

But you didn’t come here for our delectable Irish spread. You came here for the drink tonight! And I’ll be the first to admit, this is about as far from traditional Irish drink that you can get. But it’s green! And if you can dump some food coloring into Keystone and call it authentic Irish green beer, then this is just as authentic. (Seriously, we are drinking some authentic Irish beers so it’s okay).

The base of tonight’s drink:

• 6 oz lime gelatin
• 1 quart hot water
• 2 cans concentrated OJ thawed
• 1 42 oz can pineapple juice

Mix the gelatin with the hot water. Let cool. Mix everything together. You now have your base. This can be used to make either the Smashed Leprechaun or the Irish Luck. It’s simple to do either. Fill a large wine glass with the mixture.

Smashed Leprechaun: Top with sparkling wine.

Irish Luck: Top with ginger ale.

Delicious non-Irish Irishness.

Both are excellent. It’s reminiscent of a wedding punch, with a bit more lime and a pretty green color. You’re also not burning through your green food coloring, and it lends some sort of flavor to the drink. It’s also not too sweet. This would be a great party drink, as you can make your base, then tweak it as needed for your guests taste.