For this day of uninhibited drinking and pride in all things Irish, we offer up the favorite drink of novelist James Gould Cozzens: the Half and Half (courtesy of Hemingway and Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers). On this day, the recommended stout is, of course, Guinness.  But no matter your alcohol of choice, please enjoy it in more moderation than the famed novelist did.

Half and Half

The Half and Half is perhaps better known as a Black and Tan. The nickname is derived now just from the colors, but from the regiment of British soldiers stationed in Ireland after World War I. Called the Black and Tans, their mismatched uniforms resembled the colors of the drink. Ironically, while the soldiers were a notoriously rough lot, the Half and Half is rather smooth. Any easy combination of bitter and mild, you’ll find it a pleasant way to develop a state for stout.

8 oz. chilled lager

8 oz chilled stout.

Pour lager into a chilled pint glass. Pout stout over the back of a bar spoon to help it float over the “tan.” Sometimes ale is used instead of lager.

–Brittany