Most of the old Christian saints' days that still loom large in the public consciousness tend to do so because they have been appropriated into our new religion; consumerism.
Very often, these occasions are bought into by sections of the drinks trade that have some kind of link, no matter how tenuous. I'm sure you know what I mean. Pink fizz for Valentine's Day, anyone? How about a wee dram for Saint Andrew's Day? You get the picture.
The daddy of all these tie-ins is just around the corner: Saint Patrick's Day. Despite being a national saint's day from Ireland, this particular event is internationally observed, largely thanks to its popularity on the east coast of America, and the opportunism of the giant drinks corporation Diageo, who own - you guessed it - Guinness.
The bars will be decked out with green decorations, and the revellers will cut about in leprechaun-style hats - all adorned with the Guinness logo. No other saint's day has been so strongly identified with a particular drinks brand, and boy do they do well out of it. Now, I like a pint of 'the black stuff' (no, not Bovril) as much as the next person, but the thing is, Guinness is an everyday drink. It's available in almost every bar and apparently they sell 1.8 billion pints of it every year! It's such a common drink that if you fancy celebrating the 17th of March in style, it doesn't feel so special, does it?
The good news is that there are alternatives. I'll leave recommendations of hideously green cocktails to the waistcoated 'mixologists' of this world, and go for some good, old fashioned beers and whiskeys.
If you simply must have Guinness, do yourself a favour, and get a bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (widely available, approximately £2). It only comes in a wee 330ml bottle, but for good reason; at 7.5% ABV, this isn't Guinness as you know it. Both hoppier and richer, it's got loads more character than the standard and draught brews - a bit like Guinness on steroids.
As it was the Americans that popularised St Patrick's Day internationally, you might want to give them a wee nod too, and grab a bottle or two of the Guinness-inspired Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout (£2.50, Hippo Beers). It has a nice sharp and delicate, roasty flavour, but with a deep, mellow and lasting finish. It gives the Irish a run for their money at any rate.
I also love a dram here and there, and as much as I love my own country's whiskies, the Irish can bottle some good'uns too. Like the Americans, the Irish call them 'whiskey', rather than our protected term 'whisky' - a technicality, but good to know.
Coming from the world's oldest operational whiskey distillery (1608, no less!), you could try Bushmills 10 y.o. Malt Whiskey (£33, Sainsbury's). A mellow and delicate style, reminiscent of our own lowland styles, and with a subtle hint of vanilla and honey coming from time the spirit has spent in American bourbon oak.
For something even more special, opt for the rather more rare Teeling Whiskey (£35, Good Spirits Company) which is not only a small batch production, bottled at 46% without chill-filtering - a process that makes the spirit clearer, but removes alcohol, so this is what I like to call 'real' whisk(e)y. This has a rather unusual rum cask finish, lending it a slightly exotic, fruity and citrusy edge. This is definitely one for the adventurous amongst you.
So many choices, eh? It's just a shame that the 17th is a school night!
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article