Go Green With St. Patrick’s Day Drinks – Slainte (Cheers)!
March 15, 2013
Whether you’ve a touch of the Irish in your genes or not, nearly everyone celebrates St. Patrick’s Day by wearing, eating and drinking green. While green mashed potatoes don’t really sound appetizing, many green drinks (alcoholic and non) are delicious. It wouldn’t be St. Patty’s Day without a good drink and the Irish have been very kind to share with us their taste for alcohol. Drinking green beer, while popular in the US, is scoffed at by the Irish. But there are an abundance of green drinks you can drink throughout the day.
Top of the Morning To You
A Green Smoothie
Start the day off with a healthy, nutritious Dr. Oz smoothie. It’s green and good for you!
- 1 cup spinach
- 3 stalks celery
- 1/2 cup diced seeded cucumber
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 small apple cored
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Combine all ingredients in blender and purée. Add a banana for a little sweetener.
For the Kiddies
Sparkling Limemaid Float
- 1 12 ounce can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
- 1 quart lime sherbet
- 1 2 liter bottle lemon-lime flavored soda
- Crushed ice
Pour limeade concentrate into a large punch bowl. Add the sherbet and stir until smooth and well combined. Pour in the soda and stir to combine. Add the crushed ice just before serving.
Or to make the wee ones feel more grownup, try this sparkling water, green drink:
- 4 ounces sparkling water
- 4 ounces white grape juice
- 10 green grapes frozen
- Green food coloring
Put the grape juice, 8 of the frozen grapes and a couple drops food coloring into blender. Blend and pour into glass. Add sparkling water to taste and garnish with the remaining frozen grapes.
Cocktail Hour
Appletini
- 2 ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce sour apple schnapps
- 2 ounces white cranberry juice
Place all 3 ingredients into a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh apple slice.
Everybody’s Irish
- 2 ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 tablespoon green crime de menthe
- 1 tablespoon green Chartreuse
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a green olive.
Tropical Leprechaun
- 2 ounces coconut rum
- 1/2 ounce Blue Curaçao liqueur
- Pineapple juice
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in rum and Blue Curaçao and then top off with pineapple juice. Stir the top slightly, leaving the blue on the bottom of the glass, until the drink turns green.
After Dinner
Shamrock Shaker
This creamy, smooth drink is a decadent mix of coffee and almond along with milk.
- 1 1/2 ounces Kahlua coffee liqueur
- 1/2 ounce amaretto liqueur
- 2 1/2 ounces milk
Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker and file with ice. Shake vigorously and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle with edible green and gold powder for garnish (you can find this in a cake decorating store).
Late Evening
Lucky Lime Float
Scoop lime sherbet into a mug and add 7Up or other clear soda. Garnish with whipped cream (tinted green of course) and some green sugar sprinkles.
The Irish are known for their celebrations complete with toasts. Some silly, some blessings and some with deep meanings that make you pause for a minute.
May the saddest day of your future be no worse
Than the happiest day of your past.
