St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Cocktail

A festive green drink for St. Patrick’s Day. An easy cocktail recipe to make a green Irish Shamrock cocktail. A Shamrock is Ireland’s symbol for St. Patrick. This festive drink will sure make your celebration complete!

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The connection of the Shamrock to St. Patrick

There are quite a lot of speculations about the relationship between the Shamrock and St. Patrick. When Ireland Christianized in the 5^th century, Saint Patrick is said to have used a Shamrock to show the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The pagan Irish are also known to worship the number “three” as a holy number, as there are many triple deities around. 

Another explanation is that the Shamrock (also known as a clover) is associated by the earth, and therefore sacred to the druids. 

Nowadays, the Shamrock is registered by the Irish government as their official trademark. Right now, it’s a tradition for the Irish Taoiseach to present a bowl of Shamrocks to the President of the United States every St. Patrick’s Day. 

St. Patrick’s Day Traditions

The Irish citizens celebrate the cultural and religious St. Patrick’s Day on the 17^th of March, the death date of St. Patrick. It’s a public holiday that’s celebrated across the whole world. 

This day is often celebrated with big parades, festivals, music sessions, and, of course, wearing the color green and Shamrocks. 

Christians will have their fasting day for Lenten lifted, to allow them to eat, and drink alcohol. This may also be the reason drinking alcohol has become such an integral part of the celebration. Because of this, an Irish tradition called “Drowning the Shamrock” came to be. Someone will put a Shamrock on the bottom on a cup and fill it with cider or whiskey. Then, it’s drunk as a toast to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. 

When to drink the Shamrock Cocktail

Of course, a cocktail like the Shamrock cocktail should be enjoyed as a St. Patrick’s Day drink. However, this cocktail is suitable for almost all other parties too. The festive green cocktail color suits Christmas as well and the minty flavor in combination with a strong whiskey make it ideal for fancy get-togethers with friends. 

If you’re not too big of a fan of drinking pure whiskey, you might enjoy our Shamrock cocktail. It’s effortless to prepare, and its festive green color will definitely bring you in the mood to party!

The recipe is served with a maraschino cherry on top. This truly gives a finishing touch to your cocktail, and the red color creates a perfect harmony with the soft-green cocktail. 

Irish Whiskeys

For this recipe, I used the Jameson Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey. However, you are free to choose your own whiskey to add. To keep the St. Patrick Day’s mood, I do suggest you use an Irish whiskey. Everyone has their personal preferences, so if you like sweet whiskeys with a hint of wood, you will do well with a Jameson, Bushmills, or Tullamore Dew. On the other hand, if you are more interested in a spiced taste, the Green Spot, and Tyrconnell are perfect for you! It’s all about finding a flavor that works for you. 

Cocktail variations

If you’re not as big of a fan of a minty flavor and heavy cream as I am, then this variation will be perfect for you. The whiskey base remains the same. However, you’ll add in one ounce of blue curacao and 4 ounces of fresh orange juice to create a beautiful green color. 

Also, if you have kids who love a colorful drink, the Shamrock Shake is a kid-friendly, alcohol-free alternative. All you need is heavy cream, mint flavor to add, and a bit of syrup for the sweetness. 

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