Jennifer Mastroianni: Corned beef Collins the ultimate St. Patrick's drink?

I enjoy messing with bartenders. When they ask, “What would you like?” I pretend to muse for a moment and say, “Can you do Scotch and turkey gravy?” Or, “Give me a tequila and buttermilk, on the rocks.”

The reaction is priceless. Of course, I’m kidding about drinking such a concoction, but now I’m thinking I may have been on to something big.

I got a press release last week from celebrity chef Richard Blais, a former contestant on both "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef." The red-headed Irishman currently is a spokesman for Michael Collins Irish Whiskey.

Here’s how the e-mail went: “Did you know that just over 200 years ago, there were over 1,200 Irish whiskey distilleries? Today, there are three. Despite the decline, Irish whiskey is making a comeback and the resurgence of Irish whiskey is leading to innovative cocktails beyond the Irish Car Bomb and Irish coffee.”

Innovative, indeed. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Blais combines corned beef, cabbage and Michael Collins Irish Whiskey to make the never done before ... “Corned Beef Collins.”

He’s serious. And I could totally see St. Paddy’s Day partiers loving this drink. It might even turn out to be a cult classic. Check out the recipe below.

If the cocktail is over the top for you, take a look at Blais’ recipe for corned beef cooked in Michael Collins whiskey, brown sugar and mustard, with cabbage and potato cannelloni. It sounds wonderful.

Meanwhile, I think the crazy cocktail thing could take off. Maybe I can cash in on it with my own drink cookbook, a blog and corporate sponsors. Maybe I should test a few of my own creations for St. Patrick’s day. Such as a blood pudding Bloody Mary. Or a Guinness and mutton spritzer. Or a Bailey’s and mashed potato martini.

CORNED BEEF COLLINS

1 ounce Michael Collins blended whiskey
2 ounces fresh sour mix
2 ounces club soda
1 eye droplet of corned beef extract (corned beef drippings from pan)
1 splash cabbage water
Corned beef spices and cabbage oak, aroma

Shake whiskey, corned beef extract and sour mix with ice. Pour into Collins glass and top with club soda.

Smoke corned beef spice blend (bay leaf, black pepper, coriander, salt, mustard seed) with oak chips and present smoke suspended in covered, inverted glass. To serve, remove glass to infuse the air with the smell of corned beef and enjoy!

CORNED BEEF WITH POTATO AND CABBAGE CANNELLONI

Corned Beef:

Take a piece of corned beef and lather it in light brown sugar, corning spices, a mild mustard, and a few splashes of Michael Collins Irish Whiskey. Cover in 2 layers of aluminum foil and cook in a 275-degree oven over night, or for 8-10 hours.

Potato and Cabbage Cannelloni:

Make your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes. Set aside. Cut off the bottom core of a head of cabbage and simmer in water with corning spices and a touch of butter. When just cooked to tender, remove cabbage and chill. Reserve cabbage water for cocktails.

Remove the individual cabbage leaves as “sheets.” What isn’t a nice sheet, chop up with some parsley and mix into mashed potatoes. In each sheet, place a line of mashed potato and roll up to form “cannelloni.”

To serve the cannelloni, mix some instant potato flakes with grated Irish cheddar and room temperature butter. Top the cannelloni with this mixture and broil or torch to desired crispness. Slice the corned beef and serve with the whiskey drippings alongside one of the cabbage and potato cannelloni,

Jennifer Mastroianni writes for The Repository in Canton, Ohio.