The 8 best cocktails to drink on St Patricks Day

There’s no better way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day than throwing on your favourite bright green dress and heading out for a cocktail (or five!) Whether you choose to show off your Irish pride by throwing a St Paddy’s party, hitting the pubs, or staying at home, nothing will get you in the spirit of St Patrick’s quite like a great tasting cocktail. 

8 cocktails to drink on St Patrick’s Day

From the reliable classics to the newly trendy, green cocktails can achieve a photogenic verdant shade while still tasting good. And most of them are extremely simple to make at home, as demonstrated by the fine people of cocktail TikTok. Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or trying your hand at cocktail making for the first time, here’s 8 of our favourite green cocktails:

1. The Last Word
2. Margarita
3. The Grasshopper
4. Elderflower Gimlet
5. The Bottle Rocket
6. The Basil Smash
7. Midori Illusion
8. Caipirinha

Now, let’s take a look at how to make them!

1. The Last Word

 

@spritzandspice

It’s Friday, you deserve the Last Word! #cocktails #cocktailrecipes #mixologyart #craftcocktails #lastword #fridaynight #bar #bartender #poseathome

♬ original sound – spritzandspice

When we researched the best green cocktails, The Last Word was by far the most mentioned drink. It employs Chartreuse, a criminally underused herbal liqueur that is green in color. The combination of the Chartreuse and the gin makes for a bitter yet herbaceous sip, with lime and cherry adding a perfect amount of tartness.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Chartreuse
• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. maraschino cherry liqueur
• 1 oz. lime juice
• lime wedge
• brandied cherry

Add all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, then shake and strain. Garnish with lime and cherry.

 

2. Margarita

@jordananne_

Best Margarita of your LYFE #margarita #recipe #tequila #margaritarecipe #drink #drinkrecipe #happyhour #itscoronatimе #triplesec #cocktail

♬ original sound – Jordan Anne

3. The Grasshoper 

4. Elderflower Gimlet 

@actinginfilm

Cocktail ASMR ~ Elderflower Gimlet #fyp #foryou #cocktail #bartender #gin

♬ original sound – Aimbree Lauren

The traditional gimlet does in fact pass what I will now refer to as the shamrock test, getting its green from one of its only two ingredients: lime juice. But if you want to amp up the green hue and add a layer of refreshing flavor, bring some cucumbers into the mix—elderflower liqueur is a nice complement to that in this particular recipe. An added bonus: You’re sneaking some vegetables (read: much-needed nutrients) into your day of partying.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. St. Germain
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 2 cucumber slices (more for added garnish)
• lime wedges (as many as you like)

Muddle cucumber slices in the bottom of a shaker. Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker with ice, then shake and strain. Garnish with lime and/or cucumber.

5. The Bottle Rocket 

@thelucasassis_

Let’s make a Bottle Rocket! #tequila #drinks #cocktails #bartenders #craftcocktails #jalapeño #mexico

♬ original sound – Lucas Assis

This tequila drink is for kicking the green up a notch with the help of some jalapeños. But if spice isn’t your thing, worry not—the core of this cocktail is an extremely drinkable, sweet mixture, with a rich honey flavor coming through.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 3/4 oz. honey syrup
• 2 oz. tequila
• sliced jalapeño
• sparkling water to top off

Add lime juice, honey syrup, and tequila to a shaker with ice, then shake and strain over fresh ice. Top off with sparkling water and garnish with as many jalapeños as you like.

6. The Basil Smash 

@aguilliano

Basil Smash #fy #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #cocktails #cocktail #drinks #alcohol #basil #basilsmash #gin #bombay #bombaysaphire

♬ original sound – Guilliano Celestino

The Basil Smash is yet another gin-based green cocktail, this time relying on some herbaceous leaves to bring the desired hue and a strong savory taste. Who knows, maybe those basil leaves can channel the energy of their flora cousins the four-leaf clovers for a little luck mixed in as well.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 2 oz. gin
• 5-10 basil leaves

First add basil leaves to shaker, as many or as few as you like. Add all liquid ingredients to shaker with ice, then shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with more basil leaf.

7. Midori Illusion 

@bardeandres

MIDORI ILUSIÓN 🍹 #foryou #fyp #bartender #drink #midori #tragos #cocteles #cocktail

♬ original sound – Andres Villabrille

This cocktail may well be the sweetest one on this list, but also one of the prettiest to look at. Midori is a neon green melon liqueur that instantly transforms any other ingredients it mixes with, and here with the pineapple makes for a tropical cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Midori
• 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. pineapple juice

Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker with ice, then shake and strain over fresh ice.

8. Caipirinha

Enjoy colourful St Patrick’s Day cocktails!

As demonstrated by our TikTok stars, making great tasting cocktails doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply a few ingredients, your favourite liquor, then served shaken with ice! Even if you’re planning on a chilled night in to celebrate St Paddy’s, you can still get in the party spirit with these bang on theme green cocktails.