As the 17th of March grows near, a lot of us can be caught reaching for green shirts, green pants, green ribbons, and any green that can save us from that dreadful pinch! Here at Zipps, we also think you should get pinched if your drink of the day doesn’t include at least a little quintessential Irish whiskey.
Here are our top choices for our favorite St. Patrick’s Day cocktails, from the unilateral crowd pleasers to the no-nonsense classics:
Green Beer
St. Patrick’s Day is almost synonymous with green beer—any bar and pub on the 17th of March will be sure to be ready to serve gallons and gallons of it. This is seen as more of a gimmicky way to celebrate the day by adding green to the beer of choice, but this classic gets a whole lot of attention nonetheless. If you serve this up at your own party, you can bet your guests will have a great time with this classic green beer recipe.
Making green beer is simple, and you need practically no equipment. Here’s how it’s done.
Ingredients for green beer:
- A clear glass
- Beer
- Green food coloring
How to make green beer:
- Pour the beer in the glass
- Add a single drop of green food coloring
That’s it. Tough to mess up, right? The food coloring isn’t going to change the flavor of the beer in any way, it’s just going to tint the beer as green as desired. For this, you’ll need to use a lighter colored beer, too. Darker ales won’t change much in hue.
Green Dublin Apple Cocktail
On St. Patrick’s Day, green is the color of the day and, as we said, Irish whiskey should be the spirit of the day. This tasty cocktail brings those two traditions together into a slightly more sophisticated appletini. The dazzling bright green paired with the robust profile of an Irish whiskey like Jameson yields a cocktail that is as impressive as it is delicious.
Ingredients for green Dublin apple cocktail:
- 2 ounces of Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce of sour apple schnapps
- 2 ounces of white cranberry juice
- Apple slice to garnish
The white cranberry juice and the green sour apple schnapps are what combine to give this drink its almost aggressively green flavor, so try to make sure you have these and not substitutes.
How to make a green Dublin apple cocktail:
- Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker with ice
- Shake for about 30 seconds, until it gets really frosty
- Strain the contents into a pre-chilled glass of choice
- Garnish with a fresh apple slice
The Massey
If you’re looking for an aggressive and beautiful yet impressive St. Patrick’s Day cocktail that champions Irish whiskey, this is the one for you. Created as a tribute to the creator’s Irish grandmother, this cocktail is crafted to truly highlight the flavor profile of Irish whiskey. The slew of different spirits might catch you off-guard at first, but trust us, they work wonderfully together.
Ingredients for a Massey:
- 1 ounce of Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce of gin
- ¾ ounce of sweet vermouth
- ¼ ounce of green chartreuse
- 1/8 ounce of Campari
- Orange twist to garnish
How to make a green Massey:
- Combine all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir well for about 30 seconds
- Strain the contents into a pre-chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with the orange twist
As you might have noticed, this cocktail has a whole lot of hard-hitting spirits and no non-alcoholic mixers. As delightful as it is, sip it with care.
The Leprechaun
For an easy-drinking yet sophisticated St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, try the gin and tonic’s Irish relative: The Leprechaun. Preparation is simple, literally just swap out gin for Irish whiskey in a gin and tonic.
Ingredients for a leprechaun:
- 2 ounces of Irish whiskey
- 6 ounces of tonic water
- Lemon twist to garnish
How to make a leprechaun:
- Pour the whiskey into a highball glass already filled with ice
- Fill the glass to the top with the tonic water
- Garnish with the lemon twist
You can also take advantage of this drink being such a light color to drop in a bit of green food coloring. The more green on St. Patrick’s Day, the better!
Pint of Guinness and a shot of Jameson
While all these options are fun and delicious ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, sometimes the best option is the tried and true one. Order a pint of Guinness, a shot of Jameson, and any bartender at an Irish pub will surely nod in approval.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day right by visiting your local Zipps Liquor store! We have plenty of Guinness and Jameson to keep your spirits lively!
Visit your local Zipps Liquor store to stock up on your favorite beer, wine, & spirits!
