HOMAGE TO ST PATRICK’S DAY

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is a revered figure in Irish culture and history. However, many people may not know that St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish - he was born in Britain around the year 385. His birth name was Maewyn Succat, but he later changed it to Patrick after becoming a priest.

In the early 20th century, St. Patrick’s Day was a dry holiday in Ireland - meaning no alcohol was consumed. In fact, up until the 1970s, many pubs in Ireland were closed on St. Patrick’s Day out of respect for the religious significance of the holiday

St. Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and is celebrated each year on March 17th, the day he died.

The Irish have a tradition of “drowning the shamrock” on St. Patrick’s Day. This involves placing a shamrock at the bottom of a glass and filling it with beer, which is then drunk as a toast to St. Patrick. The shamrock is then taken out of the glass and placed on the drinker’s forehead, supposedly bringing them good luck.

In the US, St. Patrick’s Day is the fourth most popular drinking holiday after New Year’s Eve, Christmas, and the Fourth of July.

The largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world is held in New York City and draws over 2 million spectators. The parade route is over a mile long and takes several hours to complete.

The traditional meal for St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is corned beef and cabbage. However, this dish is not actually an Irish invention - it is an American adaptation of Irish bacon and cabbage. When Irish immigrants came to the US in the 19th century, they found that beef was more affordable than bacon, and thus began the tradition of serving corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day.

In the 17th century, the Irish celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by drowning a live goat in a barrel of whiskeythankfully, this tradition no longer exists.

What Will Cook

One of Jameson’s new mates this year is What Willy Cook, its official unofficial Jameson Ginger Ale & Lime Ambassador! Chop some lime, fill a glass with 30ml of Jameson & top with ginger ale. And the key – squeeze that lime juice right in.

Jameson’s Irish Whiskey is available in more than 120 countries and sells around 20 million bottles a year. It has the biggest share of the global Irish whiskey market.

Cat Thomson Talks To Murray Ainslie About His Latest Venture

Murray Ainslie recently launched Black Grape, a restaurant and bar on Edinburgh’s Canongate, on the former site of the Pancho Villas restaurant. It is his first endeavour with business partners Stuart Hunter and Cameron Taylor, two multi-award-winning entrepreneurs who founded Advance Global Recruitment. The three close friends wanted to create a relaxed space in the heart of the Capital offering ‘small plates, wine and good times’.

Before this venture, Murray worked as Operations Director for the Compass Group in Edinburgh running White Horse Oyster & Seafood Bar, The Chop House brand, Sygn, Monteiths Restaurant and The West Room.

His first job in hospitality was as a kitchen porter at Marmions Brasserie in Melrose at the age of 16, before heading to University in Edinburgh to study History and while studying he worked in a variety of hospitality roles in both restaurants and bars.

By strange coincidence, his first student flat was located just down the road from Pancho Villas and he admits, “We would find ourselves there rolling about throwing margaritas at ourselves on more than one occasion.”

After completing his degree at Edinburgh University he went travelling for a year with his good friend, now business partner, Stuart Hunter.

The two had great adventures, visiting Asia, Australia, and America. He says, “It was a great trip, but we were slumming it.” He jokes, “I went back to Thailand and it’s a very different holiday when you can afford a bed without bedbugs.” After his first degree Murray went on to study for a postgraduate diploma in Law while working in retail at Cruise and as the marketing manager of Xile clothing.

He also began consultancy work for the Compass Group, concentrating on brand development and marketing, while his fellow legal students were applying for traineeships to start their careers properly, but Murray had discovered his passion; “The prospect of filing legal paperwork for eight hours a day didn’t really excite me. In hospitality, there were always events on, which appealed much more than the drier legal route.” His role at the Compass Group quickly developed and he soon became the full-time operations director and during his time at the group he helped launch The Chop House and White Horse brands, opened four sites, sold another two and navigated a pandemic along the way. At its peak he was running seven venues, so by the end of that period he felt he was ready for a new challenge.

Murray explains, “I had been looking for a site for some time on my own, and missed out on a couple of places. Stuart and Cameron then expressed an interest in getting involved with the venture, which was fantastic.”

Murray says, “Having a couple of really successful entrepreneurs involved in growing the business is massively beneficial. They bring a consumer’s perspective, so you get the view of someone