The Potato Colada

Earlier, we conquered the eating part of St. Patrick's Day, and now it's time to get down to some well-deserved drinking! I've created a signature cocktail which I call the Potato Colada.

It combines so many of the things that make Ireland great (Irish Creme, milk, tubers) into one mouth-watering beverage. Essentially, this cocktail is like alcoholic chocolate milk, which — let's face it — is the best of all possible worlds. I was originally going to serve it in a regular old glass, but then Edith suggested we drink them from potatoes, which we will obviously do because a) there is nothing more Irish than a potato, and b) how many times in your life do you have the chance to drink out of a potato?

OK, let's dive right in, because the faster we make them, the faster we can drink them!!!

Here's what you'll need:

-Irish Creme (Bailey's or any other brand is fine.)

-Milk (I used whole, but use whatever you have.)

-Chocolate syrup

-Potatoes, as large as possible (You'll need one potato for every person you plan to serve.)

-Hairpins, for garnish (Duh.)

Here's what to do:

-Combine equal parts Irish Creme and milk in a glass or pitcher. I used 1/2 cup of each, and it was more than enough to fill 2 potatoes.

-For every cup of liquid you use (just eyeball it), add one tablespoon of chocolate syrup.

-Mix it all around with a spoon until the syrup is dissolved. Taste it to make sure it's chocolate-y enough for you. If it's not, stir in more syrup. Then stick the whole thing in the fridge while you get the potatoes prepped.

-Scrub the potatoes clean, and pat them dry.

-Cut a bit off one end (maybe 1/4 of the potato), just at the point where the potato gets the widest. This creates the top of the "glass." Then you'll want to slice a tiny bit off the bottom, just enough so that there's a small flat surface for the potato to rest on so it will stay upright.

-Now you need to hollow out the potatoes. I used a teaspoon to carve out the insides — be careful not to get too close to the skin or your "glass" will spring a leak. Remove as much of the inside of the potato as possible, but be sure not to go all the way to the bottom.

-Rinse out the potatoes so no extra starch leaks into your drink. (If you do this at all ahead of time, store the potatoes in a bowl of cold water so they don't turn brown. Then dry them off thoroughly before pouring your drink in.)

Here's what you should end up with:

-Pour the drink carefully into each potato, and then garnish by stabbing one end of a hairpin into the side of the potato. And there you have it: Potato Coladas!

As you sip an endless stream of these all night, I hope you take a moment to savor both the novelty of drinking out of a potato and the novelty of drinking chocolate milk that also gets you drunk. Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all!