St Patrick’s Day drinks
St Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and whether you’re planning on hitting up the local Irish pubs in your area or you want to host your own Gaelic gathering, you might already be fretting about what to drink on the day.
Stereotypes would suggest you have to partake in a pint of Guinness - and thanks to the ingenuity of Nitrosurge, you can recreate the perfect pint at home - but there are a few delicious cocktail alternatives that capture that St Patrick’s Day spirit just as well!
Read on for a history of St Patrick’s Day and five great cocktails that’ll have you saying “Sláinte” with the best of them!
The best St Patrick's Day Cocktails
The South Side
Fun fact: Chicago has one of the largest Irish-American populations in the United States, and the South Side Irish Parade is one of three annual St. Patrick's Day parades that take place in the Illinois city. So, it only seems fitting to try the cocktail which shares the name with the area.
You’ll need:
50ml (1.75oz) gin
25ml (0.75oz) lemon juice
10ml (0.3oz) sugar syrup – 2 parts sugar dissolved over heat into 1 part water
Around 10 mint leaves
Ice
To make:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes
Add the gin, juice, syrup and mint leaves
Shake the mixture vigorously until the surface of the cocktail shaker feels chilled
Use a cocktail strainer to strain into a martini glass
Place a final couple of mint leaves on top of the drink to garnish.
The Midnight Mint
You’ll be seeing green pretty much everywhere else on St Paddy’s Day, so why not have a drink that matches? Regularly treated as the ideal after-dinner drink, this fine, shaken combination of Baileys Original Irish Cream and mint liqueur is a great, dessert-like cocktail which you can enjoy after tucking into some snacks, and the best part is, it’s incredibly simple to make but looks impressive and festive.
You’ll need:
25ml Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur
25ml Smirnoff Vodka
25ml Mint Liqueur
Chocolate shavings
Mint leaf
To make:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes
Measure 25ml Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur, 25ml mint liqueur and 25ml Vodka into the shaker
Shake the mixture vigorously until the surface of the cocktail shaker feels chilled. With a cocktail strainer, strain into a martini glass
Garnish with chocolate shavings and a mint leaf on top
Cucumber Martini
Hosting a more relaxed St Patrick’s Day gathering but still want to partake in some traditional touches? This floral, summery twist on a classic martini enjoys both a natural green hue – because you have to stay on theme – and delivers a fresh, floral sensation with every sip. It’s the next best thing to taking in the wild fields of Ireland on a clear day.
You’ll need:
60ml (2oz) vodka (choose your favourite, but we love Ketel One for this floral serve)
One tablespoon of dry white vermouth
One tablespoon of St Germain
2 slices cucumber
Ice
To make:
Place the cucumber slices in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle
Add the rest of the ingredients and ice
Shake for 15 seconds until the shaker feels cold to the touch
Strain into a glass and garnish with cucumber slices
Espresso Martini serves
You’ve heard of Irish coffee, well, this is even better. While not the most immediate connection to St Patrick’s Day, we love the idea of toasting the annual event with a range of Espresso Martini alternatives.
After all, just like the spirit of the Irish, Espresso Martinis have plenty of kick (and if you really think about it, the dark body with the frothy top shares a resemblance to the classic Guinness pint!)
Casa Espresso Martini
For a celebratory occasion like St Patrick’s, it’s the perfect time to try something different – like swapping out the usual vodka for a tequila-based Espresso Martini. The Casa Espresso Martini adds that signature fiery kick of Casamigos tequila to the distinct coffee flavours for a memorable serve.
You’ll need:
50ml (1.75oz) Casamigos Reposado Tequila
30ml (1oz) fresh brewed espresso
30ml (1oz) Licor 43 (or similar vanilla liqueur)
35ml (1.2oz) coffee liqueur (we like Mr. Black)
3 or 4 dashes of chocolate bitters
Coffee beans
Ice
To make:
Combine all ingredients into a shaker
Dry shake (meaning shake with no ice) for roughly six seconds
Next, add ice, shake vigorously again and strain into a chilled martini glass
Garnish with coffee beans
Seedlip Spiced Espresso Martini
For an alcohol-free serve on St Patrick’s, the Seedlip Spiced Espresso Martini is packed full of flavour.
You’ll need:
50ml (1.75oz) Seedlip Spice 94
15ml (0.5oz) sugar syrup – 2 parts sugar dissolved over heat into 1 part water
50ml (1.75oz) fresh espresso
3x coffee beans
A peeled cross section of ginger
Ice
To make:
Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake vigorously
Strain into a coupette glass
Garnish with three coffee beans and a cross section of ginger (placed on the rim)
The history of St Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated annually on March 17 to observe the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
However, the day has evolved to become something of an occasion to celebrate Irish culture as a whole, with parades, sharing of food, music, dancing, and plenty of green.
Why do we celebrate St Patrick’s Day outside of Ireland?
The reason St Patrick’s has become such a global celebration – and a perfect opportunity to host a special occasion for your near and dear ones – is in part to the large population of Irish who have emigrated over the years.
In fact, despite being the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick has taken on a whole new life outside of the country with the first ever St Patrick’s Day Parade being held in America.
While people in Ireland have celebrated St. Patrick since the 1600s, the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day parade began in America, even predating the founding of the United States. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish colony in what is now Florida.
The Bar Team
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