Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
March 12, 2019
If you’re looking for a way to observe, celebrate and enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, we can offer you some ideas about what to wear, where to go, what to do and what to eat and drink! Whether you stay in or head out on the town for an Irish pub crawl and Irish eats — made once a year — just remember, if you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough!
The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Denver starts at 9:30 a.m. in LoDo with an entourage of bands, step-dancers, bagpipes played by performers in kilts, caps and knee socks, and plenty of community cultural groups and civic clubs. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is an all-day celebration, starting with the Parade, followed by a pub crawl at 11:00 a.m. from Nallen’s and plenty of fun festivities.
The Fado Irish Pub is never at a loss for things to do on March 17. And March 16, for that matter! The 20-year party tradition follows the Parade at Revel Social located at 2229 Blake St. in downtown Denver. The celebration is a two-day outdoor block party with live bands, outdoor bars, and enough beer and whiskey to keep thousands of green-clad, day-drinking St. Patty’s warriors toasty warm!
St. Pat’s Party Planning
Staying at home for a fun weekend with the fam? You can take any tablecloth you have and add some green stickers from the office supply store, and polka dot your table. It’s fun for the kids to do and takes no time and very little green – moola that is. Or head to Party City in Aurora on East Ellsworth Avenue and pick up a Shamrock Table Cover for $3.50.
You can set the table with grocery store bouquets from King Soopers on Smoky HIll, in the colors of the Irish flag. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day and spring, and the Dollar Tree on South Gartrell Road in Aurora has plenty of other decorations for your home-grown celebration.
How to Party Like a Leprechaun
If you’re headed to a party like maybe at Sheabeen Irish Pub on South Chambers in Aurora be sure to dress the part. You can pick up a leprechaun hat, beard, vest, shoes and headband at Party City. Or hurry online and order one of the Epic CosPlay hair extensions or ponytails in Forest Green. We’re not sure how Irish that is, but the wigs you’ll find there come in tons of colors and add to the total wearing of the green!
To set up a bar with Irish whiskey cocktails, look at the Food and Wine recipes for tasty favorites. Try the Cork County Champagne cocktail (made with 12-year-old Irish Whiskey from Cork County Ireland) or the Old Irish Cure, a version of the medicinal potion lots of folks – Irish and not — drink to treat colds. It’s a tasty brew with whiskey, ginger, honey and lemon. And for a creamy, spiced drink the Barm Brack honors an Irish bread of the same name baked with currants and raisins. Trying saying that three times fast! 
Mix That Drink has 17 recipe ideas for your St. Patrick’s Day imbibing – from green beer that’s oh-so-easy to make with a drop of food coloring, to Honeydew Martinis, and a shooter that looks like the Irish flag with green crème de menthe, Licor 43 and Irish cream. Or there’s the lowly Grasshopper, a lovely and classic blend of mint and chocolate. Plus 14 more!
Corned Beef and Then Some
We consulted the savvy chefs at the Food Network for some real Irish eats, like Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Stew, courtesy of Tyler Florence. The twists in this collection include Shepherd’s Pie Potato Bowls (twice-baked and topped with rich beef filling) and a hearty stew of tender lamb, carrots and potatoes topped with herb butter! For leftover corned beef recipes, check out these 25 from A Taste of Home.
Traditional Irish dishes also include boxty (potato pancakes), and coddle (sausage, bacon and potato), colcannon (mashed potatoes, cabbage and butter. If you’re noticing a potato theme, there’s a reason. The humble potato has a special place in Irish cuisine – it was a staple of the peasantry until the potato famine of 1845. Though Ireland is not as dependent on the potato as it once was, it still has a strong relationship with the tasty tuber. For a collection of favorite traditional Irish potato recipes, like Haddock and Cheddar Mash or Potato and Spring Onion Soup, visit Saveur.
Slice up some cooked potatoes, Irish soda bread, sausage chunks and apple wedges to dip in a Cheddar-Beer Fondue. This boozy spread makes a great appetizer for any party, but especially on St. Patrick’s Day. And if you want to add the bold Irish stout to other recipes, Good Housekeeping has a bunch of ideas on that theme!
And you don’t need anything special to make these homemade cupcakes in the shape of a three-leaf clover. Just use the Woman’s Day classic vanilla cupcake recipe and fill a mini-muffin pan full of liners with a few tin foil balls and bits wedged around the edges to create the right shapes.
May the road rise up to meet you, and the wind always be at your back!
Lucky to Live in Southshore
It doesn’t take the luck of the Irish to score a new home in the master-planned community of Southshore! If the idea of Life at the Lake appeals to you, tucked away but also convenient to dining, shopping and all kinds of recreation, stop in for a visit! Experience lakeside living with a tour of several exquisitely-designed model homes from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. Available in ranch and two-story designs, Southshore homes are priced between the $400s and the $700s.