The Irish Shillelagh drink is a popular Irish alcoholic beverage that is commonly consumed as a mocktail and is deeply rooted in Irish culture. The drink is named after an Irish wooden walking stick, consisting of a stout, knotty blackhorn stick with a nob at the top to grip onto. Historically, the Irish Shillelagh was used in duels to settle disputes between two Irishmen, but today it is a symbol of resilience, strength, and Irish pride.
To honor the Irish culture of the walking stick and all it represents, they created the Irish Shillelagh drink in the mid-twentieth century. The mocktail version can be compared to modern refreshers, a category of cold, fruity drinks. Refreshers have taken the world by storm, coming in hundreds of flavors at cafes like Starbucks, Dunkin, and 7-Brew, but does the Irish Shillelagh have the same potential for the booming popularity of drinks like the strawberry acai refresher. After trying the mocktail drink, Pennridge High School senior, Addie Metzler said, “I thought it was just okay, maybe not something I would drink regularly. It doesn’t compare to the strawberry acai refreshers.”
The drink consisted of lemon juice, powdered sugar, peach juice, ice, and raspberries for garnish, which gave it a tart but sweet taste. According to Metzler, “The drink was definitely sweet.” She described it as tasting like it “maybe had honey in it.” Despite having fairly positive reviews, Metzler expressed hesitation when trying the drink.
Payton Massaro agreed when she said, “I was definitely a little bit thrown off by the yellow color of the drink, and I didn’t really like that it smelled as strong as it did, but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste.”
The agreed concern over the color of the appearance of the drink, makes me wonder how much of a drink’s appeal is accounted for by its appearance, and how much is from the taste? According to the National Institute of Health, color, smell, and perception of a drink makes up about 30-50% of a person’s enjoyment of the actual drink. Carter Mercier believes that “making changes to improve its appearance could make the drink better.”
As those who tried the drinks agreed, the Shillelagh tastes good, but it lacks appeal. So, with improvements to color and overall appearance, the Irish Shillelagh has the potential to be great. The improvements to the drink will do more than just improve sales because with every sip, they will enhance and continue Irish culture.
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7826582/
https://www.lovetoknow.com/food-drink/mocktails/non-alcoholic-irish-drink-recipes
