This St. Patrick's Day, Go Green With McCormick's Irish-Themed Drinks And Desserts

SPARKS, Md., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With more people of Irish descent living in the U.S. than in Ireland itself,[1] St. Patrick's Day has become a widely celebrated holiday for everyone in this country – Irish or not. This March, with green-themed recipes for delicious drinks and desserts from McCormick, you won't need the luck o' the Irish to bring their spirit to any celebration.

"On St. Patrick's Day, everyone can have fun making baked treats and beverages with that little bottle of green food color," said Chef Kevan Vetter of the McCormick Kitchens. "For example, turn regular brownies into Irish delights with vanilla extract and a green marbled cream cheese topping, or make an Emerald Mint Milkshake – the perfect treat for kids and adults alike."

Celtic Treats:

• Shamrock Sugar Cookies: These dazzling clover-shaped sugar cookies coated in green-tinted icing are an easy way to add a little Irish fun.
• Luck of the Irish Crispy Treats: Scatter golden foil-wrapped chocolate candy coins around these emerald green crispy treats to create your own Irish pot of gold!
• Lemon-Lime Bars: These bars have an irresistible citrus flavor that comes from fresh lime juice and pure lemon extract.
• Green with Envy Cheesecake Bars: Contrasting layers of green, white and chocolate brown get a hint of sophistication with refreshing pure peppermint extract.
• Green Ombre Cake & Cupcakes: Varying the drops of food color in layers of cake batter made from a cake mix makes this colorful delight achievable for all bakers.
  • Mimic the ombre effect on the outside of the cake by tinting frosting various shades of green and layering onto the outside of the cake.
• Irish Cream Swirl Brownies:This decadent brownie, infused with vanilla extract and Irish cream liqueur, will have everyone tapping their feet to a Celtic tune.

St. Patrick's Day Sips:

• Emerald Mint Milkshake: This classic milkshake recipe is transformed into a cool concoction with a hint of green and touch of pure peppermint extract.
• Creamy Irish Coffee Martini: Reinvent classic hot coffee as a cool Irish cocktail – top with whipped cream and green sprinkles.
• Green Beer: Always a crowd-pleaser, add five to six drops of green food color to 12 ounces of beer (or lemon-lime soda).
• Leprechaun Lemonade: Quench the thirst of your little leprechauns with green-tinted raspberry lemonade.

The fun doesn't stop here – check out www.McCormick.com or www.Pinterest.com/mccormickspices for more St. Patrick's Day recipes such as Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread and Luck of the Irish Cake Pops. Follow McCormick on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/McCormickSpice, and look for McCormick Food Colors and Extracts in the spice aisle of supermarkets and mass merchandisers nationwide.

To download food photography, visit the digital press room at www.mccormick.com/foodmedia.

About McCormick
McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor. With $4 billion in annual sales, the company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry – retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick Brings Passion to Flavor™. Visit McCormick.com and Facebook.com/McCormickSpice for more information.

[1] http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13-ff03.html

SOURCE McCormick & Co., Inc.