I'm In Love, and His Name is Bailey's

We're in a pub called The Quays (pronounced keys) in Galway, Ireland. My friend Meriel is lying on a wooden bench trying not to vom. The rest of us are staring cross-eyed at the "Irish coffees" that the bartender has just brought over to our table.

Let's first take stock of what exactly brought us to this point. One. It was Halloween last night. Two. We all decided to dress up as "sassy" devils.

(Okay, so not totally sassy, but my bum can't support a mini skirt)

Three. We randomly ran into some high school friends on the street whilst brunching, which led us to feel like we should "celebrate like what." Four. The sassiness of the outfit transferred into sassy dancing. Six.. All these elements combined led to the perfect storm of late night drinking, and playing the British version of Trivial Pursuit until 6am at our friend Adrianne's apartment (who the F is going to know the English Cricket champions of 1994??!!). Seven. Our train back to Dublin wasn't until 5pm, and it is now exactly 12pm Greenwich Mean Time. Eight. WE had to check out of our hostel, and The Quays was the closest haven (5 strides across the street), and not one of us had the will to walk any further.

Which brings us back to the 'Irish coffee' that currently sits on the table in front of me, and the two most important questions: will I like it? And, will it cause my head to implode? Never having had an Irish coffee, and being unsure of its medicinal contents, I make a couple of quick assessments:

- I like coffee

- I like the Irish

- I like the look of the 1 inch of creamy froth on the top of the drink

My brain's conclusion: "go ahead Molly, take a big ole chugger."

My body's reaction to this decision: " Oh good lord, this is pretty much all whiskey. You may need to stand up and run to the bathroom."

Fortunately, the agony was only temporary, and I was able to have a wee chat with the friendly bartender, and learn a lesson. A "traditional" Irish coffee consists of a jigger of Irish whiskey (as a special "surprise" he actually gave us two) and coffee. However, for a lass in my state and drinking experience, I would be much better off ordering what is called a "Bailey's Irish coffee." I'll tell you what. That fine bartender was right, Bailey's Irish coffees are DIVINE. They have become one of my favorite after dinner/hair of the dog drinks, ever. So, thank you random bartender at The Quays. Not only for introducing me to a new drink, but also for allowing 4 American girls to lounge around your pub for 4+ hours, with all of our luggage. Nothing beats Irish hospitality!