5 Celtic Cocktails to Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day

Everyone’s favorite Irish holiday lands this month, and if you’ve had your fill of green beer and Guinness, why not try something different? Celebrate Ireland’s patron saint by mixing up these delicious cocktail recipes, complete with a kick of Celtic inspiration.


The Lucky One

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Elit by Stolichnaya
  • 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse
  • 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
  • 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
  • Grapefruit twist

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until ice cold. Strain and serve up. Garnish with a grapefruit twist, expressed and discarded.


While the thought of margaritas making the rounds this St. Patrick’s Day can be confusing—this is March, not May—the basil in this version helps take the edge off. Salud!

Basil Lime Margarita

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Roca Patrón Silver
  • 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 oz. simple syrup
  • 4 basil leaves, 1 for garnish
  • Lime wheel, for garnish
  • Kosher salt, for glass rim

Combine liquid ingredients and three basil leaves in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice to chill. Strain onto fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime wheel and basil leaf.


No St. Patrick’s Day celebration would be complete without a tip of a bottle of Jameson. But what to make? Be original and build yourself The Irish Cocktail. First appearing in the 1888 edition of Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual, this cocktail has nearly 130 years under the belt in celebrating the Emerald Isle. Sláinte!

The Irish Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
  • 2 dashes Pernod Absinthe
  • 2 dashes Curacao
  • 1 dash maraschino liqueur
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients and stir over ice. Strain into a chilled sherry glass. Flame a piece of orange peel and squeeze the zest over the cocktail. Garnish with an olive.


Irish Coffee

Hot coffee topped with fresh whipped cream makes for a great way to shake off the last of winter’s chill, so brew up a few glasses (in the evening, of course) and celebrate the holiday in style with this traditional recipe, courtesy of the International Bartenders Association.

irish-coffee-1

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 2 parts Irish whiskey
  • 4 parts freshly brewed hot coffee
  • 1 part fresh whipped cream

Warm whiskey over a burner, but do not bring to a boil. Pour into a glass, add hot coffee and brown sugar, and stir lightly. Top with whipped cream, using the back of a bar spoon to gently float the cream on top, and serve hot.

For those seeking some extra flavor, add an ounce or two of Baileys Irish Cream for a kick of sweetness, or garnish your dollop of whipped cream with a dash of cinnamon for a festive finish.


You’ve heard of the Snake Bite, even the Boiler Maker, but a Jägermeister Rudi? Created by Willy Shine, Jägermeister Brand Meister, this simple shot puts a crown atop that anise-flavored cordial for a dose that will surely kick start the St. Paddy’s Day shenanigans.

Jägermeister Rudi

Ingredients:

  • 1 part Jägermeister
  • 1 part beer (preferably Guinness)

Simply top off your Jägermeister shot with a beer cap. While the two will mix naturally, the beer head will form a mousse on top, creating a fun crown.

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