I love being a quarter Irish. It makes the taste for alcohol that much more acceptable to judgment-prone onlookers and it gives me an excuse when the rowdy in me gets out. One of Christmas’s most popular liquors stems from my ancestors—ol’ great great grand pappy is making me proud right now. Yes, we Irish, like everything good, created Bailey’s. Guess that’s why it’s called Irish Cream.

Bailey’s is created from the best cream from real cows on real Irish soil. These lucky heifers are fed four high-quality types of grass, producing, in the end, the highest quality cream. Then, the age old tradition of dairy farming meets the age old tradition of distillation and voila: creamy whiskey, yielding a rich texture that is thick without being heavy and has a tinge of whiskey bite that is softened by its counterpart. You, like me most of time, may not even realize your drinking.

If you’re looking to spike a warmer upper, than look no further. Bailey’s has a built in cream component, and a light sweetness inferred from the whiskey that easily replaces your regular cream and sugar coffee routine. Adding Bailey’s to hot chocolate just makes the good even that much better. Take cream with your tea? What about forgetting the tea bag and just adding some Bailey’s to the hot water? Trust me, this is one you’ll go back for seconds on. Bailey’s can even make a latte that much more special, especially if you have your own machine at home (if not, you may find yourself with a flask at a Starbucks somewhere).

Make no mistake though, Bailey’s isn’t just one to appease a warm drink. It’s just the more popular choice when we can’t feel our fingers anymore. Christmas is a warm season, and with many a party and many a host’s heater on full swing, there’s a chance that the warm bevy may either over heat you, or just make you want to go to bed. No worries, Bailey’s on ice is a simple and flavorful option to staying in the spirit. Chilling Bailey’s actually releases more of the flavour (It’s magic. Really. Try it). Shaking the Irish Cream over ice is another option with a similar result.

Bailey’s is also great as your shooter cream component. A B52 (Equal parts Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Bailey’s) or a China White (Cream de Cacao, Bailey’s, Cinnamon) tend to be the most popular, while a Cement Mixer (think lemon juice with cream, think curdling) tends to be the least.

There are a million and one things to do with Bailey’s it seems. Ice cream? Pour Bailey’s on it. Have a blender? Put coffee or ice cream or ice or milk in it and add Bailey’s and you have a frap or a smoothie or shake. In-laws are over? Make it a double and add Bailey’s to your Irish Whiskey. Or be like those really creative twenty somethings in that commercial around the beach campfire roasting marshmallows and dunk your flamed smore into a glass of Bailey’s. The options seem endless…

This season, advertisers want you to know that drinking Bailey’s is stylish, it’s hip; it’s a creamy beverage that gets the party started with a slew of hot looking people that let their senses guide them. I say just warm up, get in the spirit of the season, and start drinking… - B.J.