St. Patrick's Day Irish Cream

What's not to love about St. Patrick's Day? Irish music, Guinness stew, soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, Irish cream, beer, and whiskey...it all creates the perfect recipe for a mid-March celebration. And today seems to be an excellent day for such a celebration--the sun is shining, the weather is warm, and spring is in the air.

I thought I'd share a St. Patrick's Day tradition I started a few years ago. Every year I make a big batch of home-made Irish cream. I personally think it's superior to, and cheaper than, Bailey's, but you can decide for yourself. It's pulled from the cookbook Best of the Best from North Carolina Cookbook, and it's a tasty addition to any St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Ingredients:

1 cup Irish whiskey
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened-condensed milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon instant coffee
2 tablespoons chocolate extract

Blend all the ingredients together and refrigerate for about 12 hours before serving. I've never been able to find chocolate extract so I usually just pour in a little chocolate syrup or powdered hot cocoa mix. This year I didn't have an coconut extract, but it still tastes great.

This Irish cream is wonderful to sip on by itself or mix in with coffee. It can also be used to create delicious Irish cream milkshakes by blending it in with vanilla ice-cream.

Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, so enjoy some delicious food, drink a little whiskey and Irish cream, and dance an Irish jig! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!