With only 46 days left until St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish themed food products have already begun to emerge.

Coffee. Whiskey. Cream. Sugar. The ingredients are simple enough for the drink known the world over as Irish coffee.

A good Irish coffee should look like a pint of Guinness? No seriously, there should be a cold, thick, firm, creamy head on top of the dark, clear, scalding hot, coffee and whiskey mixture. It definitely should not have mixed or curdled, if it has, send it back and insist on a proper one. Half the pleasure is sipping the hot coffee through a layer of cold cream.

As the Irish actor Alex Levin said, “Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. ”

Slainte!

Irish treats at Christmas are a major part of the festive season. Here are our ten favorites.

Now is a time to be at home with loved ones. Thanksgiving celebrations have evolved significantly since their inception, but at the core has been a simple message: to be with loved ones.

Meath native Eddie Travers has been forced to close the doors of the historic Fraunces Tavern on Pearl Street in New York City, the oldest bar and tavern in the city, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The tavern was built in 1763 and frequented by George Washington among others.

We may have flocked to the US in millions over the centuries, but despite our love for America there are many things that Ireland does better.

1. Wait approximately two minutes before sipping a Guinness, allowing it to settle completely.

The traditional Irish breakfast incites memories of meals in kitchens that smell of freshly-cooked meats, fried vegetables and baked bread.

 It’s now officially time to break out the scarves, rain boots, leaf rakes, more suntan lotion {in Miami’s case} and more importantly start looking for the Autumn recipe collection.

Irish Starbucks are to come under new management by Entertainment Enterprises, an entertainment and restaurants group operated by Irish brothers Colum and Ciarán Butler.

The Irish Times reports on the management for Ireland’s 27 Starbucks cafes. The Butler brothers had operated 10 of the 27 Starbucks outlets prior to Tuesday, with the other 17 operated from the US, where the coffee chain originated.

The pub is the center of the social universe in Ireland. It's much more than just a drinking place - it's where families mark births, deaths, birthdays and Christenings,  and where sports fans come to cheer on their teams. Many an Irish couple first met one another in the pub.

The Tilted Kilt pub chain and restaurant featuring scantily clad bar staff in looking to set up shop in Quincy, Massachusetts, much to the dismay of the clergy at local church St. John the Baptist.

Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) has announced that the right government policies would ensure that Ireland delivers exports of $14 billion (€12bn) over the next eight years creating up to 30,000 new jobs.
 
Currently in Ireland one in eight jobs in Ireland are related to the agri-food sector.
 
FDII director Paul Kelly told the Herald that Ireland’s food and drink sector is deeply embedded in Ireland’s economy.
 
He said "That means that an increased focus on food will drive growth in the wider economy as well as in the sector itself.
 
"The food sector spends [$9.6 billion] €7.9 bn, or 76pc of its total expenditure, on Irish goods and services.
 
"This represents a significantly higher contribution to the domestic economy than any other area of manufacturing. If we increase exports to [$14 billion] €12bn, the sector will potentially deliver 30,000 jobs across the whole economy."

A recent study released by the Irish Brewers Association shows that Irish downed fewer pints in 2011 and the demand of Irish beer abroad is on the rise.
 
According to TheJournal.ie, the Irish public consumed 694 million pints of beer, in 2011.