St. Patrick and Irish Whiskey in the Bomb

Ever wondered how whiskey came to be associated with a patron saint of Ireland?cc

Everything has a reason, right? So there must be one to explain why what is essentially a religious celebration is associated with so much of the “hard stuff” in a bottle. Well, according to About.com, there’s a good reason for that.

As a patron saint, many miracles have been attributed to St. Patrick, the most important being his conversion of the Irish pagans to Christianity. So how did whiskey get involved in his day of celebration? Well, that comes from an old Irish legend. When he was supposedly served a glass of whisky that an innkeeper was skimping on, he decided to use the occasion to teach the innkeeper a lesson in generosity. St. Patrick is said to have told the man a monstrous devil lived in his cellar that was feeding on his dishonesty. It would only leave if the innkeeper changed his dishonest ways. On his return some time later, he found the innkeeper filling all the patrons’ glasses until they overflowed and the demon emancipated from having nothing to feed on anymore. St. Patrick banished the demon and proclaimed everyone should have a drop of the hard stuff on his feast day, March 17.

Fact or just good old Irish blarney? You decide.

This YouTube video shows just how to make an Irish Car Bomb cocktail for your St. Patrick's Day party with the use of traditional Jameson Irish Whiskey.