Great (Green!) St. Patrick's Day Cocktail Recipes

Saint Patrick's Day is a ton of fun-- one of those simple holidays that's all about having a good time with friends and family (and in many cases, a lot of booze). If you're looking for some St. Patrick's Day Cocktail Recipes for your Saint Paddy's Day party, you're in the right place. Here you'll find some of the best green cocktails (and green beer!) for St. Paddy's, as well as some green beer substitutes and "mocktails" for kids.

Saint Paddy's Day Cocktails and Beer

Recipe: St. Paddy's Green Beer

This recipe calls for an Irish Amber or Lager style beer. But this also works with light beers, which will be a brighter green, and dark beers such as stout, which will be... well, stout-colored, but with a bright green head. Best when served in pint sized glasses.

Ingredients: (for one beer)
16 oz. Irish lager
3-6 drops of green food coloring

Instructions: Drop food coloring into the bottom of a (preferably chilled) pint glass. Pour beer over. Mix if necessary.

Everyone yell "Slàinte!" (this is pronounced "slawn-cha" and means cheers (literally "good health") in Gaelic) before drinking.

Repeat above steps.

Repeat above steps.

Repeat above steps. (You get the idea.)

Recipe: "Green Beer" for Kiddie Paddies

It's no fun for kids to be left out-- especially since they enjoy weird-colored food and drink more than anybody. To make the kiddie version of green beer, simply follow the recipe above, using smaller glasses and adding green food coloring to:

• Ginger Ale
• Apple Juice
• Sprite/7-Up
• Lemonade

However, you may want to skip some of the "repeat above steps" instructed above-- unless you want to have lots and lots of little ones running back and forth to the bathroom.

Green Alien Mocktail

• Ingredients: (for one drink)
• 3 oz. Lime juice
• 3 oz. Sparkling Lemonade
• 2-3 drops green food coloring
• Lime slice (garnish)

Instructions: Combine ingredients and pour into a tall ice-filled glass (if you can find a weird-shaped glass, even better!).

Recipe: Green Citrus-Whiskey Punch

This St. Patrick's Day cocktail recipe goes down so smooth it's scary. So get a designated driver and watch how quickly you drink this punch-- it really sneaks up on you. But hey, it's St. Patrick's Day!

• Ingredients:
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, mostly thawed
• 6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, mostly thawed
• 2 liters 7-Up or Sprite
• 1 bottle (750 ml) blended whiskey
• 2 C. orange sherbet
• Green food coloring, as needed

Instructions: In punch bowl, combine soda and juices until well mixed. Add whiskey.

Drop ice cream scoop balls of sherbert onto the surface of the punch. Serve.

Stir occasionally as punch sits. Serves about 20.

Recipe: Irish Flag Shot

The layers of alcohol settle to make a neat-looking Irish flag. This is one to save for the end of the night-- that way you can't drink that many. This St. Patrick's Day Cocktail recipe is a dangerous one. Serve in a pony glass (a shot glass on a long stem, essentially) or a normal shot glass.

• Ingredients: (for one drink)
• 3/4 oz. green creme de menthe
• 3/4 oz. Irish cream
• 3/4 oz. brandy

Instructions: In the order given, pour each layer over the back of a spoon into glass. Pour very gently to retain layers.

Recipe: Shamrock Shooter

The orange and melon in this green St. Patrick's Day Cocktail recipe make it go down deceptively smooth-- so watch out. And enjoy.

• Ingredients: (for one drink)
• 1 oz. white tequila
• 1 oz. Irish whiskey
• 1/2 oz. melon liqueur
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions: Mix. Pour over ice in a highball and sip, or serve up in a shot glass and, well, shoot it down.

Garnish with a (clean) shamrock leaf, if you have one.

Recipe: Emerald Isle Martini

• Ingredients: (for one drink)
• 2 oz. gin or vodka
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 1 sprig mint
• 1 drop green food coloring

Instructions: Combine, gin or vodka, syrup, food coloring, and one large mint leaf from sprig of mint in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well.

Strain mixture into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with sprig of mint.

Recipe: Irish Eyes are Smiling

Sweet, creamy, and green. What could be a better St. Patrick's Day Cocktail recipe?

• Ingredients: (for one drink)
• 1 oz. blue curacao
• 1 oz. Baileys Irish Cream
• 1 oz. Creme de Cacao
• chocolate curls (garnish)

Instructions: Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well.

Strain into a martini glass, or serve in a low glass over ice.

Garnish with a few curls of chocolate.

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