Sod Off, Scotch - NYTimes.com Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times; Prop stylist: Angharad Bailey Twenty years ago, I was an undergrad smitten with Joyce, Wilde and Yeats. My plan was to spend that summer in Dublin studying Irish literature - and falling in love with a cozy, back-street pub, where I'd settle in every evening to drink a few pints and tinker with the terrible poems in my notebook. Maybe I'd meet a real Irish poet and fall for him too. It was an eventful summer. I met my poet at the pub I dreamed about, where I quickly acquired a taste for Irish whiskey. Neither supersweet upfront (like many bourbons) nor smoky (like certain single-malt Scotches), it was the perfect middle path. I still loved dark, creamy stout - but a nip of stronger stuff on the side somehow made it even more delicious. Jameson's easygoing, vanilla-tinged tang - there was no too-muchness about it - was, and is, the right counterpoint to Guinness's earthy, deep, just-bitter-enough flavor and richness. It was great warm too, and not just for coffee. One woman I befriended drank only hot whiskey, even on unusually balmy Dublin afternoons. When I questioned her about this, she snapped, "You drink coffee in the summer, don't you?" By August, I didn't mind a hot whiskey at the end of the day myself. The poet and I are still friends, and Irish whiskey has remained my unfussy, constant companion. Some whiskey snobs scoff at Jameson, but there are good reasons that it's ubiquitous (the most popular shot, by far, at most New York bars I frequent): it's mellow and friendly and easy to be around, kind of the golden retriever of spirits. But beyond Jameson (and Bushmills and Powers), Irish whiskey options in the U.S. are now plentiful: from Cork's humble Paddy (my first choice for a hot whiskey - I suspect because it has an unusually fruity, zesty flavor) to Tyrconnell (an Irish single malt that's lovely for sipping and a great value at about $35) to Greenore (a small-batch whiskey - the 8-year-old variety costs about $40 - whose pale golden hue hardly suggests the appeal it should offer bourbon drinkers). Both the 12- and 15-year Redbreast offerings (which run between $50 and $75) have plenty of spice and fruit. If your idea of the perfect St. Patrick's Day drink order will always be a pint of stout and a neat whiskey on the side, go for it; I'll start off with the same. But Irish whiskey can also mix it up like the best of them, something I'd seldom say for Scotch, which can be overbearing. A Redbreast sour? That's a delicious way to celebrate the 17th of March. Kingsley Amis's Irish Coffee 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste) 4 ounces fresh black coffee 1-2 ounces Irish whiskey. Stir together in a warmed wineglass. When it is still, pour 2 ounces of chilled double cream on top. The cream must float on the other stuff, not mingle with it. From "Everyday Drinking" Hot Whiskey 1 teaspoon light brown sugar 2 ounces Paddy whiskey 3 ounces water, just off the boil 1 lemon wedge, studded with three cloves. Stir the brown sugar and the whiskey in a heatproof glass; add the hot water. Stir again. Add the lemon wedge. Irish Whiskey Sour 2 ounces Redbreast 12-year-old whiskey 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 scant teaspoon simple syrup A dash of Angostura orange bitters 1 teaspoon egg white (optional, for extra froth). Fill a shaker with ice, and add all ingredients. Shake vigorously. Strain into a 4-ounce sour glass or Champagne flute (for straight up) or into a highball over ice. Garnish with a half-wheel of orange and a cherry. The Three Greatest Irish Whiskey Songs "Streams of Whiskey" (the Pogues): Who could resist a song that begins: "Last night as I slept/I dreamt I met with Behan"? "Whiskey in the Jar" (traditional): A tossup between versions by Thin Lizzy, the Dubliners and Pulp. "Whiskey You're the Devil": The best version of this traditional song is the one you sing right before the barman kicks you out.