Saint Patrick's Day Cocktail Drink Recipes
Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with Green Cocktails & Guinness Stout
I am part Irish and have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day for as long as I can remember. Even though I am only part Irish my family did celebrate our culture.
We were a bit different than other Irish immigrants we knew in Hawaii. We did not eat the American corned beef and cabbage for our family meal, but the more traditional Irish dinner of lamb as the main course. Nor did we live with the illusion that St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland (there were no snakes in Ireland) as we realized that it was symbolic for converting the Pagan (represented by the snake) beliefs to Catholicism.
What we always did was celebrate our culture and the immigration of our ancestors to America and we did partake in typical Irish libations of Guinness Stout and Bushmill's Irish Whiskey. Green beer came later for me and even now I'll only have one, for the sake of tradition, before reverting back to my Guinness and Irish Whiskey.
These days, we have many "new" Irish (Irish Just for a Day) and the Irish who have just turned 21 and are now able to drink legally. Many do not want the tradition of Guinness and Irish Whiskey and consider it "old school".
Instead they want to drink something green, but something sweeter or something with a more complex mixture of liqueurs and liquor. They are looking for a green cocktail that is non-traditional.
On this page I have come up with a collection of St Patrick's Day Cocktails for the newer generation of Irish. I hope you will find something you like. Who knows? Perhaps you will start your own traditions. As for Me? I am stickin' with my Irish Boilermakers - Guinness and a shot of Bushmill's Irish Whiskey while my eldest daughter, on the other hand, prefers a Guinness with the sweeter Baby Guinness shot.
I hope you have an epic St. Patrick's Day Celebration! Erin go Braugh!
Keep in mind there are only three really important things to remember when celebrating.....
Relax, Have Fun,and Drink Sensibly
Blended St. Patrick's Day Cocktails
Original Recipe & Photo Thanks to Roberto Ferdman
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 1 shot Peppermint Schnapps
- 2 shots Bushmill's Irish Whiskey
- Fresh mint to garnish
Instructions
- Put 1/2 cup milk, ice cream, Peppermint Schnapps and Irish Whiskey into a blender. Pulse to get started. If too thick add a little more milk. Mix until thick and combined, but not too thin and smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Shamrocker
A sophisticated and delicious cocktail for St. Patrick's Day adapted from Cosmopolitan. It is so good it would be fabulous after dinner for dessert!
Recipe and Photo from Cosmopolitan.com
Ingredients
- 2 Shots Bushmill's Irish Whiskey
- 1 Shot Creme de Menthe
- 1 Shot Bailey's Irish Creme
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
- Flavored vanilla or maple sugar
- 2 sprigs fresh mint for garnish
- Dash of fresh grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Pour flavored sugar into a flat bottom dish.
- Wet the glass rim and dip into sugar for a coated rim.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend on medium.
- Pour into prepared martini glasses.
- Garnish with a fresh grating of nutmeg and a fresh spring of mint
St. Patrick's Day Shaker Cocktail's
Cocktail Shakers ~ A Necessary Bar Tool
A cocktail shaker is a necessary bar tool need to make many of the St. Patrick's Day cocktail recipes featured on this page. It is one of those bar tools that any well stocked bar will need to mix a variety of cocktails throughout the year for many a special occasion.
There are a lot of quality stainless steel cocktail shaker sets out there, and most sets I looked at were pretty much the same. They had stainless steel shakers with jigger measures and strainer. Some have a corkscrew/bottle opener and some didn't.
What I like about this cocktail shaker set one that the other sets didn't have is the muddler stick, and the bar spoon with the end masher. Both of these tools are valuable assets for the home bartender when making fancy fruit or herb cocktails.
An Bodhran (The Drum)
A Bodhran is the wooden frame Irish drum that you hear when playing Irish music. Whomever created this drink I believed called it a drum because of the type of glass used for the drink and how it looks a bit like the drum when peering down at it. A bodhran looks similar to a large tambourine.
To achieve the shamrock garnish in the middle of the cocktail drop 3 drops of peppermint bitters or green food coloring next to each.
I do not know who first invented the drink but the adapted recipe and photo came from Liquor.com
Ingredients
- 1 -1/4 oz Bushmills Irish Whiskey
- 1/2 oz. Port
- 1 teaspoon Maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
- Shake heavily for about a minute and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with three drops of mint bitters or green food coloring.
Emerald Isle Cocktail
There are a slew of cocktails called "The Emerald Isle" and the only thing they have in common is the green color.
Many are gin drinks, some are martinis with a wide variety of flavors, but I like this one using vodka as I am not a big gin drinker and it is actually quite good.
Get the ingredients and try it at home before the party. If you don't like it, try a different liquor you may like better. I would order one in my local pub and ask for their recipe if you like it better. I would count on my bartender to know what local crowds like the best.
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Blue Curacao
- 1 oz. Midori Melon Liqueur
- 1 oz. Vodka
- 1 shamrock
Instructions
- Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice.
- Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass.
- Garnish by dropping a shamrock (clover) in the glass.
Paddy's Girl
This deliciously sweet cocktail makes a fabulous after dinner drink for St. Patrick's Day. The recipe was adapted from the Thirsty Lion Pub in Tempe, AZ.
Ingredients
- 1 shot Bushmill's Irish Whiskey
- 1 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream
- 1/2 shot Frangelico
- 1/2 shot Tia Maria or Kahlua
- 1 shot Espresso
- Chocolate Rimmed Martini Glass Dipped in Sugar
- Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Shavings
- Mint Leaf
Instructions
- Fill martini shaker full of ice.
- Add all liqueur and espresso.
- Shake and strain into a prepare chocolate and sugar rimmed martini glass.
- Top with dollop of whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a fresh mint leaf.
Green Rim Set of 4 Martini Glass by Traders and Company
I love these martini glasses for St. Paddy's Day. I think these hand blown green rimmed glasses are amazing and the perfect green color to fill with St. Patrick's Day Cocktails.
Each glass is hand blown by skilled Dalian glass blowers with the green color hand embedded in the rims and base of the glasses. Because each glass is made individually, no two are alike.
I own a complete set of cobalt blue glassware just like these martini glasses that I bought in Mexico years ago. I love them so much I want to get myself a green set too for St. Patrick's Day.
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St. Patrick's Day Shooter Recipes
Drunken Green Irish Fairy
This recipe is for a layered shot. It is freaking awesome as a shot, but I would ask for double the amount poured into an old fashion glass when the pub is slamming. When it is so packed your are four deep from the bar it isn't always possible for the barkeep to get back right away with another shot.
On the other hand. if having a St. Patty's Day party at home, feel free to make layered Drunken Green Irish Fairy cocktails in glasses as large as you want.
Just remember if you are a guest in someone's home to drink responsibly. If not, hand over the car keys to the hostess and stay at the party house overnight.
Ingredients
- 2 parts Irish whiskey
- 1 part Bailey's Irish Cream
- 1 part absinthe
Instructions
- In a shot glass layer each part of liquor
- Start with the the Irish whiskey, next the Irish cream; top with absinthe by a top float.
- The shot will have a layered effect.
Mix Green Sugar Crystals for Sugar Rimmed Cocktail Glasses
I first got the idea of different color sugar rimmed cocktail glasses from Martha Stewart when she used black sugar on Halloween cocktail glass rims. Mixing different shades of green together for the rims looks so amazing for St. Patty's Day and 1 Fine Cookie Blog had a really good idea of using chocolate or light corn syrup on the rims of her shot glasses before dipping them in the colored sugar. In her photos she uses sprinkles, edible glitter, and luster dust.
Irish Flag Layered Shot
The secret to pouring the layers in a shot glass (or a pony glass) is to slowly pour, barely dribbling, the liquors (one by one) into the glass in the order listed.
Don't give up if it takes a couple of tries to master the layering skill. Just drink your mistakes and you'll be fine.
Also, the layering won't work if the order of the liquor layers is reversed. Keep trying to reverse the order if you like drinking your mistakes. Who am I to judge?
Ingredients
- 3/4 ounce green creme de menthe
- 3/4 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream
- 3/4 ounce Bushmill's Irish Whiskey
Instructions
- Start with the *green liqueur and pour it into the glass.
- Next take the spoon and place the tip of the spoon very close to the first layer.
- Carefully dribble over the back of the spoon the Bailey's Irish Cream as the second layer
- Lastly do the same with the last layer of *Irish Whiskey
- *Options for the green layer of the Irish flag are Absinthe or Chartreuse
- *Options for the Irish Whiskey are Grand Mariner
How to Make an Irish Car Bomb
For each Irish Car Bomb I am going to make, I pour 1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Cream in the shot glass then top with 1/2 shot Bushmill's Irish Whiskey. I then fill the Guinness pint glass 3/4 full with Guinness stout and let the creamy head settle. Next I drop the shot glass into the Guinness stout and chug it down fast. If you don't drink it fast enough it will curdle.
Green St. Patty's Day Punch
St. Patrick's Day Green Whiskey Punch
Green beer, Guinness Beer and green cocktails are always fun, but if having a crowd over for a St. Patrick's Day feast you may want to consider a big bowl of punch to serve your guest. It is so much easier to let guest serve themselves than to have to make individual cocktails for a crowd.
The recipe calls for one bottle of Irish Whiskey, but the quantity of alcohol is personal taste. This recipe can also be doubled. I don't add any sugar because I like the little bit of tartness, plus I think it is sweet enough with the ice cream or sherbet. However, it is personal taste and it is perfectly fine to add sugar if you prefer it sweeter.
Photo by TasteofHome.com
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 ml) of Irish Whiskey
- 1 can 46 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 -12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
- 1 -12 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate
- 4 juice cans of cold water
- 1 liter ginger ale
- 1 liter lemon-lime soda
- 1 bottle champagne
- 12 drops green food coloring
- 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream or lime sherbert
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients, except vanilla ice cream or lime sherbet, in a punchbowl.
- Taste and add more liquor if you want it stronger.
- Spoon in ice cream or sherbert.