After New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day may be the holiday most associated with drinking. These 7 St. Patrick’s Day drinks range from the classic Irish whiskey to the green Grasshopper, as well as a couple unique cocktails you might not associate with St. Patty’s Day. Tequila anyone?
And if beer is your chosen St. Patrick’s Day drink, check out our Guinness cocktail recipes!
Irish Old Fashioned
This post contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. We may make a commission, and there is no cost to you.
The classic Old Fashioned is usually made with bourbon, but for this St. Patrick’s Day drink we’re using Irish whiskey, of course! We also used a honey simple syrup (get the recipe in our Ultimate Guide to Simple Syrups!) for a warm, rich taste.
In a rocks glass, add 2 ounces of your favorite Irish whiskey, 1/2 ounce honey simple syrup, and two dashes each of orange bitters and Angostura bitters. Add ice and stir well. Cut a piece of orange peel and express is over the drink. Rub the orange peel on the rim of the glass, then drop it in the drink.
Irish Lady
The Irish Lady is smooth and sweet and it might be your new favorite whiskey sour! To make this cocktail, add the following ingredients to a cocktail shaker (with NO ice):
- 1 1/2 ounces of Irish whiskey
- 1/2 ounce of triple sec
- 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice,
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1 egg white
Give it all a vigorous dry (without ice) shake to emulsify the egg white. Then add a couple ice cubes and shake again. Strain into a beautiful coupe glass and watch the foam rise to the top.
Grasshopper
Everyone wants a green cocktail for St. Patrick’s Day. But not many of them taste good. We experimented with several recipes using crème de menthe and they mostly tasted like medicine. But the Grasshopper – a classic, green dessert cocktail – has enough sweet to balance out the minty medicine taste.
To make a Grasshopper, first prepare your glass. Grate a chocolate bar onto a plate. Rub the rim of your glass with a little crème de cacao, then dip the rim in chocolate shavings. Next, add the following to your cocktail shaker with ice:
- 1 ounce cream
- 1 ounce white crème de cacao
- 1 ounce green crème de menthe
Shake well and strain into your prepared glass. Garnish with a clover to give this cocktail a beautiful finish!
Irish Cactus
You don’t normally think of tequila for your St. Patrick’s Day drinks, do you? Well, think again! This cocktail was probably our favorite of all the drinks we tried.
The Irish Cactus is super simple to make. Just combine two ounces of Bailey’s Irish Cream and one ounce of tequila in a shaker with ice. Give it a quick shake just to chill it, then strain and enjoy.
Irish Coffee
Another favorite, this boozy coffee is a perfect after-dinner drink. Start with 4 ounces of hot coffee and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Stir to fully dissolve the sugar, then add 1 1/2 ounces of Irish whiskey. Stir and top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Leprechaun Sangria
This sweet, tart, white sangria is a unique addition to your St. Patrick’s Day drink menu. To make it, pour the following ingredients into a large pitcher:
- 1 bottle of Pinot Grigio or similar white wine
- 1/2 cup triple sec
- 1 green apple, sliced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
- 2 limes, sliced
- 1 cup limeade (we like Santa Cruz Organic Limeade)
Stir all ingredients together and chill for a couple hours before serving.
Lucky Punch
This one’s for the kid in all of us. Do you remember that punch your mom made by combining sherbet and ginger ale? It’s my kids’ favorite.
You can make this in a punch bowl – with or without alcohol. Combine a 2:1 ratio of limeade to ginger ale in a big bowl, then add in several scoops of lime sherbet. For an alcoholic version, add in lemon vodka equal to the amount of ginger ale.
To make a single serving of this cocktail, use the same 2:1:1 ratio. Pour 4 ounces of chilled limeade, 2 ounces of ginger ale, and 2 ounces of lemon vodka into a glass and stir. Top with a scoop of lime sherbet. It’s sweet and so delicious!
Feel free to play with your ratios – this recipe is very forgiving. You can make it more or less “sparkling” by adjusting the ginger ale, or add more vodka if you want it super boozy!
Let us know if you try any of these St. Patrick’s Day drinks!
