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Milwaukeeans are masterful at celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. After all, we love our beer (and even our Irish whiskey). And even if we’re not all (technically) Irish, we can pretend really well for at least one day.

But, how much do we really know about the holiday?

We consulted with Tullamore D.E.W. brand ambassador Tim Herlihy, who not only knows a bit about Irish whiskey, but also a notable amount about Irish culture. And he gave us a bit of gristle upon which to chew.

"People in America often wonder if they’re celebrating St. Paddy’s Day correctly… Are we doing it right? Or is this like Cinco de Mayo?" he laughs. "I think America does St. Patrick’s Day really really well. It’s big – and not just in the big Irish cities – every state in the union celebrates. And they’re coming up with new traditions all the time. We actually need more of those."

One of his favorites from Wisconsin in New London, where the city officially becomes ’New Dublin’ for a day and hosts Wisconsin’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade complete with an Irish Fest and a selection of weeknight entertainment venues.

"Four lads actually dress up like Leprechauns and change the signs," he notes.

On the other hand, there are a few things Americans could learn from the ubiquitous Irish-themed holiday.

1. For a long time, the Irish didn’t drink on St. Patrick's Day

"Up until 1961," says Herlihy, "You couldn’t drink on St. Patrick’s day in Ireland because it was a holy day. In fact, I hear 1962 was a great year for St. Patrick’s Day since they lifted the law and people were allowed to imbibe."

2. The legend of St. Patrick has gotten a bit far flung

"If you look at the man himself, St. Patrick ... people credit him with being an Irish icon. But, he was actually from modern day Wales," says Herlihy.

"If you dig even further, he gets credit for being the world’s greatest snake charmer. But, Ireland doesn’t have snakes, except for a few politicians."

3. The official color of St. Patrick’s Day isn't green

"The original color was actually blue," says Herlihy. "The Order of St. Patrick’s wore blue. The first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was in 1737 in Boston. And it took us until 1903 to start celebrating with a parade in Ireland. So, we learned that from our American cousins. And everyone would have been decked out in blue."

4. Shamrocks? Not so much

"The national symbol for Ireland is actually the harp, not the shamrock," he says. "Of course, these days we’re lucky because we now have two symbols that we’ve adopted and that are used all over the world."

5. How about corned beef?

"I wouldn’t know where to take you in Ireland for corned beef and cabbage," says Herlihy. "We eat bacon and cabbage. But, when the Irish came to America, they couldn’t afford bacon, so that tradition became corned beef."

6. It’s not St. Patty’s day

"A patty is a burger. It’s St. Paddy’s if you’d like to shorten it."