Firstly it should be noted that as there is no cooking involved in these recipes, then the drink still remains alcoholic and should not be given to children; you should also not drive after drinking these!

Guinness is one of my favorite drinks; while it's perhaps not the best stout in the world it is the most accessible. The flavor is simply stunning, combining subtle tastes, bitterness and smoothness to give it a pleasant feel in the mouth.

Unfortunately there are some who think it may be just a little too bitter for their taste, so I have found a couple of recipes that use Guinness to make a 'cocktail'.

Disclaimer: I know this is sacrilegious to many good Guinness drinkers, but being a nice guy I like to look out for those who can't quite drink pure Guinness. This recipe is perhaps more for the ladies as it adds a sweetness to the Guinness while also reducing the thickness to make it less heavy on the stomach - it also has a pretty cool color! It is quite refreshing!

• 1/2 pint of Guinness - you can vary the amount of Guinness to your own taste, but I find 'half and half' works best.
• 1/2 pint of hard cider - I tend to use dry cider so the drink isn't too sweet - but if you like sweet drinks, then use the cider you like most.
• A dash of blackcurrant - this is what gives the drink its unique pink color. You can try using different juices, but this is the one that seems to work best.

• Pour the half pint of Guinness - let it settle so the head isn't too large
• Slowly add the cider - you have to be careful not to do this too fast otherwise you'll end up with a large head.
• Add the blackcurrant juice - you don't need a lot here as it can overwhelm the flavor.
• Stir gently to mix the blackcurrant together - this also creates the pink color.

I'm not sure where the idea for this came from - it's a drink someone made for me in college. It's a very intriguing drink and has a unique and subtle flavor that is very surprising!

I find this good on a hot summers day when I'm not in the mood for a Guinness!

• 1/2 pint of Guinness - you can vary the amount depending on how much you like the flavor of Guinness - add more ice cream to water the drink down.
• 1/4 pint of vanilla ice cream - you can use any variety of ice cream that you like, but I find the combination of chocolate and vanilla is perfect.
• 1/4 pint of chocolate icecream - I like using really dark chocolate ice cream if I can find it.
• A dash of peppermint - this isn't essential, but just adds an elegant touch.
• Whipping Cream - again not really needed, but makes it look really cool.
• Chocolate - I love to shave some white chocolate and Garnish the drink with it - looks cool!

• Mix the ice cream, peppermint and Guinness on medium in a blender - you can do this by hand to get a rougher texture if you want.
• Pour into a cold glass - this looks really good in a traditional Guinness glass.
• Garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Guinness is not suitable for vegetarians, you’d have to replace the Guinness with one of the stouts below:

• Alloa Stout - bottle
• Bell's Stout (Various)
• Black Isle Brewery Porter Stout
• Bridge of Allan's Glencoe Wild Oat Stout (bottled)
• Hopback Entire Stout
• Isle of Skye Oyster Stout (bottled)
• Linfit English Guineas Stout - bottle
• Cropton's Scorseby Stout (bottle)
• Dublin's Darcy's Dublin Stout
• Samuel Adams Stout (Various)
• Titanic Brewery Stout - bottle