Hillbilly Margarita, a Perfect Cheap Drink For St. Patrick’s Day

One of America's biggest drinking holidays is upon us. Yes, St. Patrick's Day is March 17th and on that day many of us feel the need to feel Irish. For some reason, that means we feel the need to become drunk and belligerent.

I have been to Ireland and even at the iconic Temple Bar, I found none of the patrons to be either overly served or overly asinine. I think a few Irish guys sort of set the curve for the rest of us in how we choose to stereotype our brothers and sisters from the Emerald Isle.

Still many of us will want a nice stiff cocktail as we get set to enjoy the great musical lineup at Patty in the Parc in Downtown Lafayette next Thursday night. And while Irish whisky and green beer might seem to be the order of the day we'd like to direct your attention to a unique blend of beverages that has nothing to do with Ireland but everything to do with St. Patrick's Day.

It's called the Hillbilly Margarita. No, it's not made with Irish whisky, it's made with tequila. I am sure they drink tequila in Ireland but I'd be willing to bet they don't make too much of it. Another major player in the Hillbilly Margarita is the American soft drink, Mountain Dew.

You might not be aware but Mountain Dew, the soft drink, was originally created to be a mixer. In fact, its initial purpose was to be a mixer for whisky. This sounds beyond gross but then again Mountain Dew and tequila at first blush doesn't sound like a match made in heaven either.

The recipe is simple, pour your Mountain Dew in a glass with ice. Add tequila to taste. That's it. You're done. Mountain Dew is cheap and for this recipe, you can purchase the cheapest tequila you can find. It doesn't matter what it tastes like the Mountain Dew will cover the lack of smoothness in the tequila.

If you want to add salt to the rim of your glass or the way most people drink it, right out of the can, you could do that but folks might think you were showing off. And that's not the point of the cocktail. The point is to create a perfect St. Patrick's Day drink. It's green, it fizzes, it will get you buzzed, and you can drink more than one.