Beyond Green Beer: Tasty Cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every year by those who are Irish and by plenty of people who aren't too!
Along with leprechauns, shamrocks, and gold coins, March 17th is the holiday that's also known for green beer, and that delicious once-a-year meal – corned beef and cabbage.
Ireland has long been associated with drinking, and the country is home to some of the world's finest whiskeys and beers. But you don't have to be in Ireland to enjoy some delicious Irish (or green!) beer and green cocktails on St. Patrick's Day.
Here's a list of some of our favorite St. Paddy's Day drinks. Feel free to share some of yours in the comments!
Green Beer and Irish Beers
While it might not seem like dying beer green is a difficult task, you might end up thinking it takes the luck of the Irish to actually end up with a pint of emerald green beer!
According to Betty Crocker, mixing blue food dye with your favorite “yellow” beer will make it turquoise. Instead, put a few drops of green food coloring in your glass before pouring your beer to get the perfect green color for your pint.
Our favorite Irish beers go beyond the popular Guinness and Smithwick's Irish Red Ale.
If you like a dark beer that isn't really bitter, give Murphy's Irish Stout a try. Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale is a smooth, red ale that has hints of caramel with its creamy taste.
And if you prefer a non-alcoholic brew, the lager-style Kaliber may make your Irish eyes smile!
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Our Favorite St. Patrick's Day Cocktails
While we love to give different green cocktail recipes a try, Irish whiskey and Irish Cream Liqueur drinks are some of our favorites too. An Irish drink or green drink can be almost anything you want when you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day!
Leprechaun Mimosa
Mimosas are a popular brunch-time beverage. But Kara Create's Leprechaun Mimosa recipe is a fun St. Patrick's day take on the classic cocktail with orange juice and champagne.
To create this delicious cocktail, just mix some blue curaçao liqueur in with the other two ingredients and enjoy this champagne cocktail!
Jameson Sangria
Grab a pitcher and some ice and give this Irish twist on your favorite sangria a try.
You'll need red wine, fresh lemon juice, ginger beer, a dash of bitters, and Jameson Irish Whiskey to make this sangria.
Suggested garnish includes orange and apple slices, along with grated cinnamon. You'll find the full recipe for this delicious sangria on Jameson.com.
Irish Mojito
You'll need a splash of green Creme de Menthe if you want to dress up your mojito for St. Paddy's Day. The other ingredients you'll need include Barcardi Limon, limes, sugar, club soda, and fresh mint leaves.
If this sounds like a minty cocktail for you but you aren't sure how to make it, check out RecipeGirl for directions and photos of the final product!
Irish Mule
While it's not a green beverage, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this tasty recipe that replaces vodka with your favorite Irish whiskey.
Pick up some ginger beer, fresh lime juice, and a mint sprig or two and mix with the whiskey in your copper mug or just a glass with ice!
Check out this Fox and Briar recipe so you'll know how to whip up these whiskey drinks.
Irish Margarita
If you want to get a little fancier with a mixed drink this St. Patrick's Day, grab a cocktail glass and get ready for an absolute delight.
You can embrace your Irish heritage (or your adopted one) and still have a margarita by following this Restless Chipotle recipe. Gold sugar sprinkles rim the glass of this green drink!
You'll feel like a real bartender when you mix up the tequila, Irish whiskey, blue curacao, peach schnapps, Aperol, pineapple juice, and lime juice in this recipe.
Key Lime Gimlet
As snowbirds in Florida, we are all about key lime flavor! To make this “Irish” gimlet, pick up some soda water, simple syrup, Key Lime slices, and juice, along with your favorite gin.
This Country Living recipe will make enough of this seasonal citrus favorite to share with your friends when you're celebrating on March 17th.
Shamrock Shot
If you've given up finding a pot of gold, you might settle for this creamy green treat recipe on Liquor.com!
Pull out the green creme de menthe, some vanilla vodka, and some heavy cream to get started. Add a few dashes of chocolate bitters and whip cream and you'll be ready to shoot your Shamrock Shot!
Bailey's Shamrock Shake
When you were a kid, you might have looked forward to a shamrock shake around St. Patrick's Day! But a boozy milkshake can be the adult version of that green March ice cream treat.
To make the Lemon Tree Dwelling recipe for Bailey's Shamrock shakes, you'll need vanilla ice cream, mint extract, green food coloring, whipped cream, Bailey's Irish Cream, and a blender.
Original Irish Coffee
If you've never had an Irish coffee, St. Patrick's Day is a great reason to treat yourself to one. You can order one at a restaurant, but it's easy to make Irish coffee at home too.
You'll need four ingredients – Irish whiskey, black coffee, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Mix the whiskey, coffee, and sugar and float the lightly whipped cream on top. Rather than mixing it in, drink the coffee through the cream.
See this Spruce Eats Irish Coffee recipe and instructions if you want a little more guidance on how to make it.
Bonus Dessert: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Guinness Buttercream
While this isn't a cocktail recipe, this scrumptious dessert has an Irish ingredient! A bottle of Guinness Extra Stout gives this chocolate cupcake recipe a unique flavor.
You'll need some baking skills and time to make this yummy recipe from scratch. But once you make this Sally's Baking Addiction recipe once, it'll be a sure dessert favorite every St. Patrick's Day!
Enjoy Your St. Paddy's Day Celebration
St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us, and you may be prepping to celebrate the holiday in style.
There are plenty of ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day from drinking green beer to wearing green clothing.
But if you're joining in the worldwide celebration of Irish culture and heritage with family or friends, you may want to serve a new Irish or green drink or two.
Just remember that no matter your favorite drink this St. Paddy's Day, you also need to drink responsibly and not drive after you've celebrated. Snowbirds are getting ready to migrate north in the near future and you want to be ready to enjoy your summer in the northern sunshine too!
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