How to Host a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration About More than Green Beer

There’s far more to St. Paddy’s Day than green beer and keg stands. So break out your green gabardine and get ready to usher in another year of love, laughter and good luck. Here are a few ideas for celebrating in style… Kiss Me, I’m Stylish! Invite friends over for an evening of everything Irish, including dressing in green. But this is not an evening for cheeky “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts. No. This is all about dressing like m’Lady of Irish nobility. Dress in Donegal wool trousers and your best tartans. Take a page from Duchess Kate Middleton’s stylebook and don an elegant green dress coat and a shamrock brooch.

Since Emerald Green was Pantone’s color of the year in 2013, you might just have plenty of pieces to wear, so take advantage of the opportunity to host a mean green party. Serve up corned beef and potatoes, of course, plus a pint of good stout. Extra credit for reciting passages from works by Yeats.

Dine Like an Irish Lass While it’s wonderful to take part in the sharing of a hearty Irish meal, there’s a way to get festive without stick-to-your-ribs fare. Invite friends and family over for a ladylike Irish brunch featuring daintier dishes like Shamrock soup (aka Green Velvet soup) with Brown Soda Bread and Salmon with Tangy Horseradish Sauce. Don’t forget the Irish coffee!

Toast Like an Irishman Okay, while it’s true that St. Patrick’s Day is about more than green beer, that doesn’t mean it can’t include green beer – and be generally focused on beer. Host a party that centers on an assortment of Irish beer varieties from stouts and ales to lagers and reds. You can busy yourself with the beer selection and proper serving techniques, and ask friends to each bring a traditional Irish dish – beef and Guinness stew comes to mind! – to contribute to a Pot Luck. Make sure there’s plenty of soda bread on hand to sop up the stews – and spend an evening making up limericks you might not share with your mother.

Shamrock On! And, finally, there’s always the option to take the stereotypical St. Patrick’s Day celebration and just go with it – ironically or not. If you push your luck and take this tack, advise friends to don their most fraternity-friendly outfit and get ready for a night of keg stands, beer bongs and green beer. Make sure you queue up all the best music from Irish rockers from U2 to Van Morrison and The Cranberries.

Happy o’Mixbooking!