Try an Amaretto Irish Cream to cap your St. Patrick’s Day celebration

Yes, it’s time for St. Patrick’s Day and the Salt Lake City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  This year the parade, sponsored by the Hibernian Society of Utah, kicks off Saturday at 10:00 AM at 200 North and 400 West and ends up at The Gateway shopping center about 45 minutes later.  Let’s hope the weather cooperates.  That’s a mite early for the type of liquid celebration that Utah cocktailians enjoy, but eventually cocktail hour and the time for an evening of celebrations will arrive.

Those in the know will avoid green beer for other libations this St. Patrick’s Day.  These posts contain a lot of great ideas for St. Paddy’s Day cocktails, but there’s always room for one more.  This year the Utah Mixologist recommends a cocktail that is simple, but delicious.  The ingredients, Amaretto Irish Cream, are revealed in the name, and (as you may have guessed) it is a little sweet, so if you prefer your cocktails more on the dry side, try making an Emerald.  Amaretto, although it gets its flavor from apricot pits, seems to taste like almonds, so it goes well with the hints of chocolate in the Irish Cream.

Amaretto Irish Cream

• 1 ½ oz Irish Cream
• 1 ½ oz Amaretto

Pre-chill an Old Fashioned glass.  Pour ingredients into a shaker 2/3 full of ice.  Shake well, fill the glass about ¾ full of ice and strain the shaker into the glass.  Serve with an Irish toast: Beannachtai ná Fhéile Pádraig!