Date Changed for Tampa’s River O’ Green

With the weather we're expecting this weekend, the City of Tampa has decided to change plans for turning the Hillsborough River green. Friday's forecast looks much more promising with sunny skies and temps near 80. Saturday, rain is expected.

The River O' Green will now take place ON St. Patrick's Day. Maybe it should've been that way anyway? Since most will be at work Friday, they've moved the start time too. Festivities will get underway at 4pm and go through 10pm Friday night.

Watch as the Hillsborough River is transformed into a bright shade of green for the St. Patrick's Day holiday. The free event has music, food and beverage vendors, beer, and family-friendly activities.

St Patrick’s Day honors the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The annual day of celebration originally marked the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and was made an official religious holiday by the Catholic Church in the early 17th century.

While traditional festivities saw communities gather at church services and family feasts, it has since become a notoriously boozy holiday celebrated here in the U.S. Many celebrate March 17 by sipping on one of the country’s most iconic exports – Guinness.

A stout beer known for its dark color, creamy head and characteristic caramel flavor is made from roasted barley, hops, yeast and water. If you’re looking to switch things up this year, check out these Guinness cocktail recipes below:

A simple cocktail that takes just five minutes to make, the Wilde Oscar is a modern take on the Old Fashioned. A traditionally saccharine drink, the addition of bitter stout beer helps to offset some of the sweetness as does using a bourbon with lots of spicy character.
Ingredients: (one serving)
1.5oz bourbon

1oz Guinness Extra Stout

0.5oz rich simple syrup

Dash of botanical bitters

A take on the traditional Bloody Mary, this recipe uses seafood seasoning, black pepper, celery salt hot sauce and Worcester sauce combined with tomato juice and stout beer to give it a malty flavor.
Ingredients: (one serving)

1.5oz vodka

3oz tomato juice

2 pinches celery salt

2 pinches pepper

Seafood seasoning

2 dashes hot sauce

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 squeeze lemon

2oz Guinness Draught

This drink is a combination of a traditional Guinness cocktail and a more tropical Tiki-style cocktail that combines stout beer with blackcurrant liquor to balance the bitterness and compliment its natural dark fruit flavors.
Ingredients: (one serving)

1.5oz rum

0.5oz lemon

0.75oz Crème de Cassis

0.25oz Orgeat

Guinness Draught

Named after the St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, this is a traditional old-style cocktail that’s made using a whole egg. For best results, use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Ingredients: (one serving)

1oz rum

0.5oz sweetened condensed milk

1/2 of a fresh egg

1.5oz Guinness Foreign Extra Stout or Guinness Draught

Grated nutmeg

A combination of stout beer and white crème de menthe, the two ingredients pair really well together to create a warm chocolatey character. The trick here is to use lots of ice and serve with a sprig of mint.
Ingredients: (one serving)

1 fluid oz White Crème De Menthe

Guinness Extra Stout or Guinness Draught

The drink combines Guinness blond American lager and, of course, the classic Irish stout. While it seems like a pretty basic cocktail, there is a technique to it, which if you get it wrong can end up making a bit of a mess. To start with you have to pour in half a pint of American lager. You then top it up with Irish stout by using a pouring spoon or inverted teaspoon, letting the stout float on top of the lager. The result is certainly an interesting-looking beer.
Ingredients: (one serving)
10 oz. Guinness Blonde

10 oz. Guinness Draught