Party Favors For St Patrick's Day
by Kevin Wierzbicki
Have you got your "Kiss Me I'm Irish" button located? Ready to drink a few mugs of green beer? Here we offer some new music for your St. Patrick's Day celebration as well as a recipe for a new cocktail that's perfect for the day. Erin go Bragh!
Ransom - The Emerald Country Whiskey Cocktail
Ransom's The Emerald Whiskey is made in Oregon but just as its name pays homage to the Emerald Isle, its taste reflects an Irish provenance. Made from a mash of malted barley, unmalted barley, rye and oats, The Emerald is distilled on a handmade, direct-fired alembic pot still. Drinkers will find it has a bold aroma of oats, malt and earthy minerals with notes of caramel, green herbs and fresh whipped cream. While you'll undoubtedly want to sip some straight, the folks at Ransom have shared the recipe for The Emerald Country Whiskey Cocktail with us and it's sure to be a hit at your St. Patrick's Day party or anytime. Here's how to make it.
Ingredients:
* 2oz Ransom The Emerald Whiskey
* 1oz Lemon Juice
* 3/4oz Simple Syrup
* 1 Egg White
*Angostura Bitters
Directions: Mix the bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Dry shake (no ice) vigorously to create a slight foam. Add ice and then shake again. Strain the cocktail and serve over fresh ice. Garnish with two of the angostura bitters. Enjoy!
Find more information on the complete line of Ransom spirits here.
Dropkick Murphys - Okemah Rising
Dropkick Murphys and St. Patrick's Day have gone hand-in-hand ever since the band's inception. Last year the guys released something a bit different,
This Machine Still Kills Fascists, an excellent album that incorporated previously- unheard lyrics written by the late folk star and activist Woody Guthrie. This follow-up release also utilizes Guthrie lyrics. Fans will find themselves musically transported to Eire with the mellow sounds of traditional Irish music on "My Eyes Are Gonna Shine," the rowdy dance number "I Know How It Feels" and the joyous tale of the transient life on the banjo-driven "Watchin' the World Go By." The Nazis of World War II are nearing their end in the fun to sing-along with "Run Hitler Run" while "Hear the Curfew Blowin'" is another cut that features banjo as a tale of an outlaw about to be hung plays out. As with
This Machine Still Kills Fascists, Okemah Rising shows a bit of a different side of Dropkick Murphys without compromising their trademark sound. Alas
Okemah Rising does not drop until May 12 but fans can enjoy Dropkick Murphys on St. Patrick's Day by tuning in to the group's livestream of their March 17 concert from Boston; tickets for that show can be purchased
here.
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy - Canvas<
This married couple are Celtic fiddlers and renowned as two of the best in the entire world and listeners should have no doubt about that after hearing cuts like the soaring "Colour Theory" (with guest Brian Finnegan on whistle and flute) or the manic "Dance Arnold Dance" where the titular Arnold would have to dance up a storm to keep up with the pair's playing. Much of the album is instrumental but Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops sings on "Woman of the House," in Gaelic no less. Another guest is famed cellist Yo Yo Ma who plays on the tender "So You Love," another instrumental but its tone speaks volumes about the delicateness of love. Fast and furious fiddle work is the order for "The Case of the Mysterious Squabbyquash" and the much slower "Caramelo" features guest Josemi Carmona on flamenco guitar. "East Neuk of Fife" is a sort of Irish hoedown and your party guests will no doubt break out in spontaneous dance moves and grooves as it plays.
Tony Tyrrell - Conviction
Tyrrell is a singer and songwriter based in Dublin, Ireland. He plays several instruments but does not play them here, instead focusing just on vocals. "Enemy of Love" is an emotional reading about the failings of relationships and what causes them; still through the despair there's the line "And love will see us through." Tyrrell works mostly in understatement; "Shining" plays out like a dirge, "Tuning Into You" is slow like the simmering relationship it chronicles and "To Know You" is in a similar vein. The idea here is to let listeners really hear Tyrrell's voice, not just his singing voice but also what he's saying with his words. It's almost a shock mid-album when "You and Me and Nobody Else" comes on; the song is a full-blown rocker with insistent guitar from Declan McCafferty and frantic singing from Tyrrell. When the song ends cold the listener is left delightfully wondering what just happened; clearly the jolt of fast and rhythmic fun conveys that Tyrrell is not to be pigeonholed.
