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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/776571
www.cheersonline.com 19 January/February 2017 • January/February 2017 • 19 January/February 2017 • to some of those who complete the crawl, advertised drink specials from each participating bar, swag from sponsors and free entry into all participating bars. And then there are the sometimes raucous events known as Lepre-Con, bar crawls or music fests mimicking geeky conventions by proposing leprechaun-themed costumes. While taking part in these crawls can boost business, they may be too boisterous for some bars. The annual LepreCon crawl in Hoboken, NJ, which involved more than 20 bars and drew nearly 3,000 revelers, resulted in 15 arrests and 35 other people being sent to the hospital last year. 5. STEP UP THE SPECIALTY COCKTAILS. St. Patrick's Day patrons expect green beer, Irish Car Bombs and Irish Coffees, but those ideas are a bit stale and won't capture much attention for an average operation. In Chicago last year, the city was awash with new cocktail ideas, some even made without Irish whiskey. For instance, The Allis featured two cocktails: Drowning the Shamrock, with rum, green Chartreuse, lime, creme de cacao and vanilla simple syrup, and the Mott Street Cathedral (Irish whiskey, Lillet Blanc and orange bitters), each $12. Bar on Buena served The Tipperary ($10), with Bushmills Black Bush Irish whiskey, Aperol and Cocchi vermouth, and The Dawson promoted four cocktails ($10 to $15) including the Dawson Snakebite (Guinness layered with Lindeman's kriek beer) and Hatchet Annie (Irish coffee, pear and ginger). The Green Turtle sets a month-long St. Patrick's Day drink menu with its own twists. These include the Green Crush, a play on the Maryland bar favorite Orange Crush (fresh orange juice, triple sec and soda), and the Shell Shocker, a green Long Island Iced Tea. Melon liqueur gives the drinks their green hue. Bennigan's includes such drinks as the Irish Apple (Deep Eddy Cranberry vodka, Jameson, Sour Apple Pucker and cranberry juice) and an Irish Mule ( Jameson, Absolut vodka, ginger and lime). Prices range from $7 to $10. Indeed, as Moscow Mule-type drinks are surging, the Irish Mule has been appearing on many menus recently. At Yard House units marking St. Patrick's Day in 2016, the menu included the Dublin Mule ( Jameson, ginger citrus agave, ginger ale and Guinness), the Emerald Isle (Cruzan banana rum, Midori, St. Germain elderfl ower liqueur and Zaya rum); and a Celtic Mojito ( Jameson, Midori, citrus agave, lime and mint). The drinks are priced at about $10.75 each. Cocktails such as the Black Velvet (Guinness and Champagne) make sense on such a free-fl owing day for stout. And libations like Green Sangria, with recipes using pinot grigio or albariño with Midori and fruit, or mint and green grapes and a touch of food coloring, give wine drinkers an option amidst all the beer and Irish coffees. 6. THINK BEYOND CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE. Consumers are drawn to conventional St. Patrick's Day fare, but adding a twist to the classics can set you apart from the crowd. One of the hottest food and drink fads for the big green day has been Kegs and Eggs, a way to take advantage of an increasingly important breakfast daypart. SideBar sports bar in New York launches its celebration each year with green eggs, green pancakes, green bagels, Lucky Charms and unlimited green Bud Light draft. Bennigan's offers a full Irish-American menu with a twist: Irish Street Tacos, Reuben Egg Rolls, Corned Beef & Cabbage, Beer-Battered Fish & Chips and Beer Cheese Soup. The Tilted Kilt's Hooley menu includes clams steamed in Guinness, shepherd's pie, Irish stew, and corned beef—with cabbage, in a sandwich, hashed with eggs or in a horseradish dip. Other creative kitchens do it differently. Cecconi's in Hollywood has featured Green Eggs—pesto-topped poached eggs on sautéed spinach, avocado, and English muffi ns. Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Austin has served a burger topped with green beer cheese, Kennebec fries, veggies, and a green bun. Chicago's R.J. Grunts in March featured Baileys aioli, cabbage slaw, mustard, Jameson vinaigrette, Guinness cheddar cheese, and thin slices of deli corned beef with a patty on a potato bun. In the Boston area, the Anna's Taqueria chain has mixed and matched ethnicities for the holiday, with a cabbage- and corned-beef burrito: slow-roasted corned beef, steamed cabbage and carrots, beans and rice. And in downtown Los Angeles, Fritzi has served Irish nachos—tater tots, house- made beer cheese and fl ecks of corned beef. St. Patrick's Day has become such a big deal for operators that one Irishman remains surprised at how broad and deep the celebration goes. "As an Irish person, I never fully appreciated how much Americans embrace Ireland," says Ri Ra's Kelly. "It was actually a bit humbling, the way everybody embraces the day and lets their hair down, whether they're Irish or not." Jack Robertiello is a spirits writer based in Brooklyn, NY.