It wasn’t until I looked up from a few work assignments a couple of days ago that I realized the most Irish day of the year was but a few days ahead.  And there was my first problem.  I had wanted to make homemade corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day this year.  But corning beef brisket takes quite a while – my favorite Food Network source calls for 10 days of brining in the refrigerator in order to cure the brisket.  Needless to say, that was not going to work in time for St. Paddy’s.  I usually prefer to focus on quick and easy recipes, for obvious reasons, but 10 days is a long time to plan ahead.  Maybe next year!

No, instead, I decided to peruse the shelves at my local Virginia ABC store.  (Note for out-of-towners:  Virginia does not allow liquor purchases outside of its state-owned stores.  Beer and wine are usually available at the grocery store, but for the hard stuff, you need to hit the state store).  One downside to this arrangement is that prices tend to be somewhat higher than elsewhere, but they do have a captive audience – how many people are willing to road-trip to DC to save a buck or two on a bottle?  In any case, I went looking for my favorite Irish cordial for the holiday.  I know, I know – whiskey’s a great choice for St. Patrick’s Day, and while I like a good bottle of bourbon, unless it’s really smooth stuff (and correspondingly, of course, expensive…) I just don’t love Scotch or Irish whiskey.  If you believe Robert Redford in Spy Game, you can always look cool drinking Scotch in a bar, no matter where you are in the world, but he has another rule that gets quite expensive:  never less than twelve years old.

No, when it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, I turn to an old favorite:  Bailey’s Irish Cream.  I’m sure you can find any number of cocktail recipes for this liqueur, but I prefer it chilled neat, or as a component of my favorite offensively named chuggable drink:  the Irish Car-Bomb.  Famously banned in many bars unless plastic vessels are available, the Irish Car-Bomb consists of Bailey’s floated on a shot of Irish whiskey, which is dropped into a full pint of Guinness and drunk as fast as possible.  Take down a few of those and you won’t be physically capable of ordering another drink!

But Bailey’s price can be a problem.  While Virginia law precludes me from naming its price directly, I can safely say that the Bailey’s name runs quite a premium, especially for a liqueur that doesn’t exceed 17% alcohol.  On perusing the VA ABC website, our fair Commonwealth also sells a couple of knockoff Irish Cream brands, which definitely piqued my curiosity.

I found myself wondering if Bailey’s is really worth the price.  Surely, I thought, Bailey’s doesn’t have a monopoly on good taste.  So for you, dear readers, I sacrificed.  I put you all first.  I decided to sample four brands of Irish Cream liqueurs in hopes of finding a better tasting value buy.

Tasting Notes:  I poured about a shot for each brand, though I didn’t finish any of the pours – I wanted to .  I chilled each bottle for several hours before the tasting and served them in a glass tumbler with no ice.  I should point out that this wasn’t rigorously scientific – no blind tastings, and yes, this is just my opinion.  Without further ado…

Bailey’s Original Irish Cream:  The original Irish Cream (and a popular choice around my fraternity house a few years back).  Bailey’s is my baseline, as it’s a brand I’ve enjoyed quite a bit before, so it’s easy to compare.  The aroma is distinctive – a decidedly rich, chocolate smell with a bit of a burn at the end.  And that burn follows with the taste – while the initial taste is quite creamy (duh, right?), Bailey’s comes with a bit of heat as you swallow, almost like it’s got some cinnamon in there, but obviously that’s from the Irish whiskey in the mix.

St. Brendan’s Superior Irish Cream:  The best value in my sample.  St. Brendan’s aroma isn’t quite as powerful as Bailey’s when in the glass, but oddly, it seemed to taste creamier and richer.  The burn was a bit more intense in the aftertaste, too – my guess is that they used less refined whiskey in this bottle, but it wasn’t offensive.  It seemed to balance the extra richness well.

Ryan’s Cream:  The only domestic bottle on my list (at least according to VA ABC).  Ryan’s poured a bit thinner than either of the previous two and was distinctly less flavorful.  The whiskey back on this one just didn’t seem to be as strong even though its alcohol content is the same as the others.  This one was the clear loser, and I can’t recommend it.

Emmet’s Irish Cream:  An improvement over Ryan’s, Emmet’s came off rich and creamy, but again, with seemingly less whiskey aftertaste.  In this case, though, the subtlety seemed to work well – the richness was there without being overpowering.  St. Brendan’s was definitely more powerful stuff, but Emmet’s was understated.  The Honda Civic of the sample, if you will – reliable without being luxurious.

Overall Winner:  Much as I love buying the original, I thought St. Brendan’s was the best choice.  Its whiskey base was a bit harsher than the others, but it balanced well with the creamier texture and worked very well in the glass.  I didn’t get the chance to try it dropped into Guinness, but I suspect it’d be just as nice.  And for the price, it simply can’t be beat.  Give it a shot next time you’re at the liquor store and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  Especially when you get the receipt!

Enjoy!

-HML