How Veterans Can Invent a New Cocktail and Win a St. Patrick's Day Trip to New York

There's nothing wrong with a drink or two when consumed in moderation. Everyone has their favorite libation for game time, happy hour or just kicking back with friends.

Some cocktail aficionados take their drinks as seriously as Ernest Hemingway, and even have home setups that would make the most famous cocktail bar look like a dive bar on the wrong side of the tracks. Some even go as far as to create their own cocktails at home.

If that sounds like you, and you're a veteran, you're in luck: The Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey is holding its first-ever cocktail contest for vets to submit their original favorite recipes for a chance to win a three-day trip to New York City, including airfare, lodging and ground transportation. While there, the winner will take part in the 2022 St. Patrick's Day Parade, a parade led by the Fighting 69th Regiment since 1851.

Every year, members of the unit raise a glass before the parade and toast to the heritage of the unit, the sacrifices the people in the unit have made in service to their country and to the people of Ireland and the United States. To ensure the whiskey is appropriate, the Sixty-Ninth Infantry Regiment Historical Trust distilled its own.

The Sixty-Ninth Infantry Regiment Historical Trust is a nonprofit created to preserve the history and traditions of the regiment while providing financial assistance to unit members, veterans and their families. A portion from the sales of the whiskey go toward supporting its mission.

This is the chance potentially to leave a mark on bars across the country, as winners of the trip to the St. Patrick's Day Parade also will have their recipe featured in an upcoming Fighting 69th cocktail book.

The 69th New York Infantry Regiment, now a National Guard unit consisting of a single light infantry battalion, is based in the New York borough of Manhattan. It is one of the oldest and most storied units of the U.S. Army. Officially founded in 1849, it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and, as a unit, has participated in multiple American wars.

During the Civil War, the "Fighting 69th" saw action at Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Appomattox, among other battles. Reactivated for World War I as the 165th Infantry Regiment, it fought at Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. In World War II, it saw action on Saipan and Okinawa. Reborn as the 69th in 1992, it also fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It's been in so many campaigns, its regimental colors are authorized to be one foot longer than others so it can hold its 23 silver battle rings.

Do you prefer your cocktails shaken or stirred? Sweet or sour? Is your favorite beverage whiskey and Hawaiian Punch? All that matters is that entries are submitted properly. All a veteran has to do to be a part of the Fighting 69th's heritage and history (aside from joining the unit) is to fill out the official entry form on the veterans page on the Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey website.

Entries will need to have a name, a unique recipe (one that features Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey) and instructions for preparation and serving. All entrants must be at least 21 years of age and have served in the U.S. armed forces. The contest ends on Jan. 28, 2022. The winner takes all and will be notified by email by Feb. 22, 2022.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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