Make Five Green Cocktails for St. Patrick's Day
Let’s face it, beer isn’t meant to be green. On St. Patrick’s Day—tomorrow, Friday, March 17—if you’re drinking beer, make it black or black and tan. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a long list of festive green libations to celebrate the day. Whether you’re mixing drinks at home or ordering at your favorite local pub, this list of green drinks, recipes included, will have you dancing a jig before the night is done.
RELATED: Hamptons St. Patrick’s Day Parades 2017 Roundup
Midori Melon Ball (pictured above)
Pour all ingredients in a glass with ice
2 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
1 oz vodka
Top with orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
Garnish with freshly scooped honeydew melon balls (or lemon if you don’t have a honeydew)
Though it’s a bit more of a summer or spring cocktail, this is simple to make, tasty and packs a surprising punch.
Grasshopper
Pour ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker, shake and strain into chilled martini glass
3/4 oz green creme de menthe
3/4 oz white creme de cacao
3/4 oz light creme (or 1/4 heavy creme)
Garnish with mint sprig
This is an old classic that looks and tastes somewhat like a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake (more on that later). Downing multiple grasshoppers will probably make you sick to your stomach before they gets you blind drunk, so it’s perfect for those not looking to go nuts on Friday.
Classic Absinthe
This is all about the preparation, which is detailed below
1 oz absinthe – the original formulation, which includes psychoactive thujone, derived from the wormwood pant, is now legal in the United States, so use the good stuff. There are plenty of fakes out there, so do your homework on this.
5 oz cold water
1 sugar cube
Pour absinthe into a Brouille glass (or a wine glass if the former is unavailable). Rest flat, slotted spoon across top of glass and place the sugar cube on spoon. Now pour enough cold water into the sugar cube to soak it, and as it begins to melt slowly, pour remainder of water through slotted spoon—sugar should now be dissolved into the white/green mixture of absinthe and cool water. This age-old drink, nicknamed “the green fairy,” is not to be trifled with. Avoid having more than one or two, even on St. Patrick’s day.
Margarita
Pour ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker, shake and strain into chilled martini glass or pour over ice in short rocks glass
2 oz top-shelf tequila
1 oz Coitreau (can also use basic triple sec, or try Grand Marnier)
1–1.5 oz lime juice – fresh squeezed is always best
Salt rim of glass, cocktail or rocks, with course kosher salt before pouring
Garnish with a lime wheel
The Margarita is definitely a summer libation, but they’re good enough to drink year round, especially when green is the color of the day.
Appletini
Pour ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker, shake and strain into chilled martini glass
1.5 oz vodka
1/2 oz green sour apple schnapps/pucker
1/2 oz Cointreau (or triple sec)
Garnish with apple slice and/or cherry
Well suited for winter and fall, this easy green cocktail can also be made with sour mix instead of Cointreau/triple sec for a sweeter but less pure version.
Nonalcoholic Options
There are lots of booze-free green drinks for designated drivers, alcoholics or young ones who want to get in on the green-swilling fun. You can surely use your imagination, but we like these two and they shouldn’t be hard to find while out and about on Friday.
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake
Only available around St. Patrick’s Day, the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is always a treat. This chocolate and mint flavored milkshake has the consistency of standard Mickey D’s shakes, but the flavor and color make it special. Find one at your local McDonald’s restaurant. Just don’t expect to lose weight while you enjoy one—a Large 22 oz Shamrock Shake has 820 calories (200 of them from fat).
Starbucks Green Tea Crème Frappuccino
Another shake-like drink that won’t go easy on the waistline, this decadent Starbucks offering is available year round, but at 430 calories (140 from fat) for 16 oz, it might be too fattening for everyday indulgence. So go nuts and enjoy for St. Patrick’s Day! Like the Shamrock Shake, it could be a yearly tradition. The drink blends sweetened matcha green tea, milk and ice, and comes topped with sweetened whipped cream. Yum.
Visit DansBOTB.com to find a great local Hamptons or North Fork bar to find these green cocktails, or make them at home!
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