by Eric Rogell
This St. Patrick’s Day put down the cheap green beer and slowly back away. Back all the way up to the bar, where you can mix one (or more) of our Top 10 St. Patrick’s Day cocktails. Sure the traditional way to proclaim your proud Irish heritage (or proud “Irish for a day” heritage), is with a pint of Guinness, but some like to take their celebration a step further, and partake in some Irish whiskey cocktails (some with beer included) or raise a glass of something that’s actually intended to be green.
Traditional Irish Whiskey Cocktails:
The Brotherhood
1.5 oz Michael Collins Blended Irish Whiskey
.75 oz Grand Marnier
.75 oz Bénédictine
.75 oz Fresh lemon juice
Lemon peel for garnish
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
Shake, and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Twist a piece of lemon peel over the top and drop into the drink.
Bushmills Irish Buck
1.5 oz Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey
.25 oz Fresh lime juice
2 oz Ginger ale
Lime wheel for garnish
Add the whiskey and lime juice to a Collins glass filled with ice.
Top with the ginger ale and garnish with a lime wheel.
An Bodhran (The Drum)
1.25 oz Bushmills Irish Whiskey
.5 oz Port
1 tsp Maple sugar
1 Egg
Mint bitters for garnish
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.
Irish Coffee
1.5 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
1 oz Brown sugar syrup (one part brown sugar, one part water)
Hot brewed coffee
Unsweetened cream, lightly whipped
Add the whiskey and syrup to an Irish Coffee glass and fill two-thirds of the way with coffee. Top with one inch of whipped cream.
Green Drinks:
Emerald Isle
1 part Gin
1 tsp Green Crème de menthe
2 dashes bitters
Pour the ingredients into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Lucky Leprechaun
1 part Melon Liqueur (like Midori)
1 part Coconut Rum (like Malibu)
6 parts Pineapple juice
Lime wedge for garnish
Pour ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake briefly.
Pour over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
St. Paddy’s Day Punch
2 (12 ounce) cans frozen limeade concentrate
2 cups Gatorade, Lemon-Lime flavor
1 cup light rum
2 (12 ounce) cans lemon-lime soda (like Sprite or 7-Up)
Mix everything except soda. Chill. Just before serving, add soda. You can also make some green ice cubes using food coloring and add just before serving.
Beer Drinks:
Shandy
3 parts Beer
1 part Ginger ale
Stir in a pint glass and enjoy.
Irish Car Bomb
Irish stout (Like Guinness)
Shot of Irish whiskey (Like Jameson)
Pour the stout into a pint glass. Drop in a shot glass filled with Irish whiskey.
Black Velvet
1 part Stout
1 part Champagne
Fill a champagne flute halfway with the stout. Top off with champagne.
To find out more, please visit Discovery.com.