Parades, green beer, kegs ’n eggs and Guinness flowing like water – what’s not to love about St. Patrick’s Day? Whether you’re Irish or not, an excuse for day-drinking and general debauchery is too good to pass up for many St. Louisans.

There are a ton of fun events and specials going on around the city in honor of this great day, but here are some ideas on what to provide for your green-clad guests if you’re planning on hosting your own festivities:

Green Beer
Yes, the concept sounds simple enough, but there are a few tricks to making your green beer magically delicious. First of all, make sure you use a lighter beer (Bud Light, Miller Light, etc.). The lighter the beer, the less coloring you’ll need. For one glass of beer, 5-6 drops of green food coloring is usually enough to get a good color. If the beer you’re drinking is yellowish in color, use blue food coloring – it will mix with the yellow to create a rich green color.

Irish Style Kegs ‘n Eggs
If you’re lucky enough to be able to take off work for the Dogtown parade, gear up for the festivities by starting the day with some Irish-style kegs ‘n eggs. Obviously, getting a keg (and inviting people over to share it) is the first step. As for the eggs, you can play it safe and just do a little scrambling, or you can impress your friends with this more authentic Irish version.

Corned Beef and Cabbage
If you’re truly concerned with authenticity corned beef and cabbage is definitely the way to go. This meal may not be a usual favorite among your friends, but it always seems to taste really good on St. Patrick’s Day (after a few drinks, of course).

Ingredients:

3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

Directions:

1. 1. Place corned beef in a large pot and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
   2. Add whole potatoes and carrots and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let sit for 15 minutes.
   3. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

Irish Coffee
Once you’re sufficiently full of Irish eggs or corned beef and cabbage, it’s time to really get your drink on. Irish coffee is a great way to start. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar and 1 ½ oz of Irish whiskey to your mug of coffee and stir. Top it off with a little whipped cream. Note: It’s okay to squirt the whipped cream directly into your mouth if you feel so inclined. I don’t think the other St. Patrick’s Day revelers doing keg stands in the corner will judge.

Irish Cocktails
Fear not, non-beer drinkers– if hard alcohol is more your style, there are some Irish cocktails that are a bit easier to handle than straight up shots of Jameson. Take that shot and mix it with ice and some ginger ale and you have the “Irish Buck” – tasty and refreshing! The “Irish Flag” is a little more complicated, but just as delicious. Pour 1 oz. green crème de menthe into a cordial glass. Place a teaspoon on the back of the glass and pour 1 oz. Bailey’s Irish crème slowly over the back of the spoon so that it floats on top of the crème de menthe. Then pour 1 oz. brandy slowly over the back of the spoon so that it floats on top of the Bailey’s.

If you want something easy and authentic, downing a Guinness is about as Irish as it gets. And for those of us who do have to work on March 17, the best sober way to celebrate (in my opinion) is to run out and get the minty green deliciousness known as the Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s. If you have not yet tried one of these bad boys, what are you waiting for?? Check here for where to find them in St. Louis. You won’t regret it.

Carlie is the Food and Drink Editor for Girls Guide, and also blogs at carliecrash.com. By day she is an educational textbook editor, and she moonlights as a foodie and barfly.  You can email her at carlie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @carbirwin.