Like many Americans with Irish heritage, I don’t think much about being Irish until March 17 rolls around. When I was a kid, Mom would make corned beef (get yours from Market House Meats) and colcannon, and we’d call Grandpa and beg him to “talk Irish” to us (Top o’ the marnin to ya, me darlin’. May God bless ye and the devil take ye, etc.). But those childhood memories are missing an essential ingredient to celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

If you think any drink involving “bombing” is only for frat boys or people who don't appreciate the nuance of a beverage, you really must try an Irish Car Bomb. Pour a half ounce of Irish cream into a shot glass. Then fill the other half with whiskey; it’ll float on top, all pretty like. Now fill a pint glass about two-thirds full with Guinness.* Hold the full shot glass over the pint glass. Take a deep breath, gently drop the shot into the glass, and chug. To avoid a mess, drop your bomb(s) in the kitchen, over the sink. Politics of the name aside, this drink is an adventure. It’s a race against time and chemistry: You must get the liquids past your taste buds before the cream has time to curdle. If you do it right, the flavor is a dream, the barley richness mixing with the sweet creaminess, and the whiskey sharpness rounding it out.

Also recommended: chocolate Guinness cake with cream cheese frosting (you can bake it while you listen to this).

* Did anyone see Mr. Guinness at the parade on Saturday? Check out the picture of him with Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger in 1968 at his castle in Ireland after the jump.