The one holiday that allows anyone to be Irish for a day is nearly here, and if a traditional boiled dinner of cabbage and corned beef is not quite your speed (to which I say: don’t knock it until you try it) there are plenty of other ways to pay respect to the Emerald Isle. Kid yourself as much as you’d like, but let’s get real…St. Patrick’s Day is all about the beverages. So set down your soda bread; we’ve put together a list of everything from classic Irish Whiskey cocktails to boozy green concoctions that are sure to get you in the spirit.
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Iced Irish Coffee
Personally, I plan to die with an Irish Coffee in my hand (a warm beverage that delivers both your caffeine quotient and end-of-day drink in one fell swoop really ought to be more popular). Now, Tullamore D.E.W. ambassador Tim Herlihy has done the impossible, improving the classic with this iced version. It’s such a no-brainer that it’s bound to be a new favorite in your go-to cocktail lineup.
2 ounces Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon ground espresso
2 teaspoons demerara sugar
3 ounces cold brew coffee
Fresh cream
Combine whiskey and espresso in a small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Strain whiskey through a coffee filter into a cocktail shaker. Meanwhile, stir sugar and 2 tsp. hot
Stoli’s St. Patrick’s Day Milkshake
I’m not sure when mint milkshakes became a St. Patrick’s Day staple, but I’m sure part of the blame can go to McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. If you’re part of this beloved milkshake’s cult of loyal followers, you’re sure to love this boozy take.
1 ounce Stoli Vanil
1 ounce white crème de menthe
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup ice
Cookie, for garnish
Mint leaves, for garnish
Combine the first four ingredients in a blender. Garnish with cookie and mint leaves.
Green in the Afternoon
With limoncello and elderflower liqueur, this sweet green cocktail with champagne will really make you feel like you stumbled on a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 ounce limoncello
2 dashes of absinthe
Pinch of matcha powder
Add ingredients to a champagne glass, top up with champagne and stir gently.
Teeling Old Fashioned
You can’t go wrong with a classic drink like an Old Fashioned, and if you’re hoping to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by sipping on a cocktail that highlights all the best qualities of Irish Whiskey, this is the way to do it.
2 ounces Teeling Small Batch
1/8 ounce honey syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon twist, for garnish
Mix bitters and honey syrup, then mix in Teeling Small Batch. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Green Mary
Are you a health nut that’s quivering at the thought of a day full of heavy beers and rich foods? If so, I’m not judging you, but this cocktail will allow you to keep that secret from your Guinness-toting friends. Made with fresh juice, it’s a green drink that will keep you in the St. Patty’s Day spirit without completely derailing your healthy streak.
1 ounce Ketel One vodka
3 ounces fresh juice, equal parts celery and cucumber
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime
1 pinch of rock salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and dried chili flakes
Add all ingredients to the glass and stir well. Add ice and garnish with a salted cucumber slice.
The Lucky Leprechaun
Perhaps whiskey doesn’t wet your whistle and you’re looking to celebrate this mid-March holiday with something slightly more tropical—we won’t judge. If so, you’ll love this bright green festive drink with kiwi and passionfruit.
1 1/2 ounces Reyka vodka
1/2 ounce Passou passion fruit liquor
1/2 ounce blue Curacao
1 1/2 ounces kiwi puree
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Combine all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Shake, double strain, and serve over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Irish Hills
With prosecco, fresh lemon juice and rosemary, this perfectly refreshing cocktail will undoubtedly take your St. Patrick’s Day brunch to the next level.
2 ounces Ruffino prosecco
1 ounce vodka
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 ounce lemon tonic
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Sprig of rosemary, for garnish
In a shaker, add all ingredients except the prosecco. Shake and fine strain into a flute. Top with prosecco and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
The Green Ribbon
If you’re looking for a classier way to celebrate the holiday, this whiskey cocktail is calling your name. A product of newly-opened NYC restaurant The Ribbon Midtown, one sip will transport you to a place far away from pub crawls and green beer.
1/2 ounce Lucano Amaro
1/2 ounce Martini & Rossi blanco
1/4 ounce green Chartreuse
1/4 ounce Noilly Pratt dry vermouth
2 ounces Green Spot whiskey
Mix together all ingredients but whiskey. Add Green Spot Whiskey and stir. Serve in a chilled Georgian glass with three cherries on a skewer.
Irish Mimosa
With a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, it’s hard to choose between beer and whiskey. If you can’t choose, this drink has a bit of both, so you can sip while leaving your indecision in the dust.
1 ounce Jameson Caskmates IPA
12 ounces IPA beer (hoppy and citrusy IPAs are ideal)
3 ounces grapefruit juice
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Pour Jameson Caskmates IPA and the grapefruit juice into a glass. Top with the IPA beer. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Gin and Shamrocks
If you’re loyal to the gin and tonic but still hoping to celebrate with some green in your cup, you’ll love this classy version of the cocktail that uses lime and lemongrass for a pop of color and hint of flavor.
1 1/2 ounces Bombay Sapphire East
3 ounces Fevertree tonic
Lime wedge, for garnish
Lemongrass stem, for garnish
Press lemongrass stem and lime wedge into the base of the glass. Fill with ice and build in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and lemongrass stem.
Four Peaks Lucky Bean Martini
Unlike any whiskey beertail you’ve had before, this drink uses Irish Whiskey infused with cascara—the fruit of the coffee plant—as well as coffee liqueur to create a far more complex flavor profile than any espresso martini you’ve sipped. To complement this, the drink is rounded out with a few ounces of rich and velvety oatmeal stout.
1 1/2 ounce cascara-infused Connemara Irish whiskey*
2 ounces Nola coffee liqueur
1/4 ounce vanilla liqueur
4 dashes bourbon barrel bitters
2 dashes black walnut bitters
2 ounces Four Peaks oatmeal stout
Shake over ice, serve up in a martini glass and garnish with 3 coffee beans
*Add one cup of dried cascara (you can get this from any high-end coffee shop or online) to two-and-a-half cups of whiskey and let it sit overnight. Strain.
Ginger Whiskey Cider
If a whiskey ginger is your go-to bar order, you’ll love this variation that uses hard cider and ginger beer to compliment your favorite Irish whiskey.
2 ounces hard cider
1 ounce whiskey
Brooklyn Crafted ginger beer, traditional flavor, to fill
Crushed ice
In a 12 to 16 ounce high ball glass, combine hard cider and whiskey. Fill the glass with crushed ice and top with Brooklyn Crafted.
The Sophisticated Shamrock
Made with cucumber juice and wasabi simple syrup (hope you’re feeling spicy), I dare you to drink this vibrant chartreuse cocktail without feeling like the self-proclaimed king or queen of St. Patrick’s Day.
2 ounces Reyka vodka
1/2 ounce Dolin blanc
1 ounce cucumber juice
1/4 ounce lime juice
1/4 ounce wasabi simple syrup*
Cucumber ribbon, for garnish
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake, strain and serve in a coupe glass. Garnish with cucumber ribbon.
*Combine one part wasabi powder by volume to eight parts of simple syrup.
Pinch Me Prosecco
If you’re already planning to pop a bottle for St. Patty’s Day, here’s a fun way to fancy it up.
3 ounces Barefoot Bubbly prosecco, chilled
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Lime wheel, for garnish
Combine lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with Barefoot Bubbly prosecco. Garnish with lime wheel.
Irish Maid
This fresh whiskey concoction is the creation of Tim Herlihy, national Tullamore D.E.W. ambassador. With a splash of ultra-trendy elderflower liqueur and fresh cucumber, you’re bound to enjoy more than one of these cocktails.
2 ounces Tullamore D.E.W.
1/2 ounce St-Germain
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
5 slices of cucumber
In a shaker, muddle two cucumber slices. Add remaining ingredients and fill shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with three additional cucumber slices.
Kanpai Matsuyama
If you’re all about celebrating this Irish holiday but more interested in other international flavors, this vibrant green cocktail uses sake and matcha to create a drink with a rounded and refreshing Japanese flavor profile.
1 1/2 ounces Momokawa sake
1/2 ounce Luxardo Maraschino
1 tsp pistachio syrup
1/3 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/3 ounce of egg whites
2 drops peach bitters
1 dash matcha powder
In a shaker, combine all of the ingredients, except for the matcha powder. Shake well for 12 seconds, then fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake again for 12 seconds. Fill a short cocktail glass with ice and strain in the mixture. Dust the cocktail with matcha powder and enjoy.
Shamrock Cooler
Created by co-founder of Bar-Lab Elad Zvi, this emerald drink will is sure to give green beer a run for its money. And with fresh serrano-infused whiskey, lime juice and tarragon, it might make you feel slightly better than your fellow revelers come the 18th, too.
2 ounces serrano-infused Maker’s Mark Bourbon*
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce agave syrup
Pinch salt
1 cup ice
4 sprigs tarragon
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the ice is pureed. Serve immediately.
*Combine two cups of Maker’s Mark Bourbon with one serrano pepper (cut in half and deseeded) in an airtight container. Allow it to macerate for at least two days. Store in the fridge and the shake container gently twice a day.
