St Patrick’s Day is coming. Which means people all over the world will be repeating that thing they’ve heard about the pints being better in Dublin, claiming that they’ve read Portrait of the Artist, and championing Irish family connections through some obscure branch of the family tree. When it comes to refreshments on the day you could do a lot worse than a few cans of stout or cider. Bushmills Black Bush (£22; Waitrose) and ginger ale – 1:2 ratio, lots of ice, wedge of lime – is one of the all-time great highballs and would also do the job nicely. However, the old classics are by no means the only choices for Patrick’s day merriment.
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There’s a tendency for international drinkers to reduce Irish brewing to one black, shimmering monolith of a pint. And while a well-poured pint of Guinness or Murphy’s is a beautiful thing it’s by no-means Ireland’s only contribution to beer.
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