Generally if I'm having a few drinks I stick to vodka, cider or wine, but every once in a while I like to have a few cheeky wee Baileys just for something a bit different.

Baileys full name is "Baileys Irish Cream" and it is an irish whiskey based cream liqueur which is 17% ABV. Baileys is a sort of beige coloured liquid and has quite a thick consistency quite like double cream and is best served cold, either over ice or straight out the fridge. Baileys is produced in Dublin and was first marketed in 1974, it is widely available in supermarkets and bars. Although cream based the manufacturers say that baileys does not need to be kept in the fridge and it has a guaranteed shelf life if 30 months whether it is kept in the fridge or not.

In shops you can usually buy Baileys in 3 sizes of bottle, 1 litre for around £20, 70cl for around £13 and 35cl for about £8. It is also sometimes available in miniature, usually around christmas and often come as part of a gift set. As well as the original flavour you can get baileys in mint chocolate, creme caramel, coffee and biscotti flavours. These are not as widely available as the original flavour, nor do they come in such a wide variety of sizes, but like the minatures you are more likely to find these different flavours round christmas time.

If I'm having a baileys its usually when I'm out in the pub, due to its price (pretty expensive in my opinion) I have never actually bought a bottle of baileys, I feel it is too expensive for something that I only drink occasionally. A glass of baileys usually comes as one standard spirit measure (either 25ml or 35ml) in a glass with ice and will cost around £2.50-£3.50. Due to baileys being cream based of course it is quite high in calories and fat with 14g of fat, 24g of carbohydrate, 3g of protein and 323 calories per 100ml. I find that I can only have a few baileys at one time as due it being cream based it is rather filling and also due to the high fat and calorie content!

The taste of baileys is very creamy (as you would expect) and you can taste the whiskey in it but it is not too over powering. I'm not a whiskey fan as I find it just tends to burn my mouth and throat but I find baileys very easy to drink, it does have a bit of a kick too it but is very pleasant. The smell of baileys is also very nice, again with whiskey on its own it can sometimes smell horrible! But baileys has a very nice smell.

Baileys is also available as an ice cream, made by Haagen-Dazs, I have had it a couple times and it is really nice, but too much of it and it can be a bit over powering, it really does taste like the drink.

Although this isn't a drink I have very much, I think I would be more likely to have it more or have a bottle in my fridge if it wasn't so expensive. I have in the past bought bottles of Irish meadow which is a cream liqueur with whiskey and white wine (sounds strange I know) and at only £3.99 (current price in tescos) for a 70cl bottle (baileys was £13) it is a massive price difference! It really is the poor mans baileys, it is very nice and I will happily drink it, but I think baileys has the edge on taste.

I would definitely recommend baileys, as longa s you know it is a very creamy and could be slightly sickly drink, if that isn't your thing then I wouldn't bother ;)