With St. Patrick’s Day just a few days away, I’m feeling green and festive. So to honor the holiday, this post is all about variations of St. Patty’s drinks that you can enjoy the whole weekend long!

The first is a sweet twist on the classic Bailey’s hot chocolate:

It’s been a warm couple days so I made this an “iced hot chocolate” of sorts. I used our Keurig Coffee Maker to brew the hot chocolate (Green Mountain hot chocolate cups…the best hot chocolate I’ve had in a very long time!) Then, mix that hot chocolate with 1-2 oz of Bailey’s (depending on how you like your drinks).To add a little something extra, I pureed some cinnamon marshmallows and put it in the shaker. After shaking all that good stuff up, I topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was a delicious spring/summer twist to a traditionally Irish winter drink!

The next is my favorite-an original creation- The Emerald Irish: I’m a fan of Jameson Whiskey, and St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse to drink it. This drink magically turns green when you combine: 2 oz Jameson, 1-1.5 oz Rose’s Lime Juice, and 1 oz. Blue Curacao. It sounds funky, but once they’re all combined and shaken, they create a lovely emerald green color with a delightfully tropical taste:

Coat the rim with some green sugar sprinkles to be extra festive! Remember to adjust these ingredients to your taste!

Finally: The classic green beer. However, I’m kind of a beer rookie, and dark beers, like the traditional Guiness, is way too dark and coffee-tasting to me. So I decided to try an alternative, lighter Irish beer and decided on Harp Lager (on sale right now at Total Wine!)

If you’re trying to keep with the festive approach, pour 2-3 drops of green food coloring into the beer and you’ve made green beer!

Hope you find a way to celebrate this fun holiday in a festive, tasty (and responsible!) way! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

-Allison