It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, and that means it’s time to pick out your bar hopping outfit (don’t forget something green) and consume more green drinks than you ever thought you would want. But instead of filling up on food dye-filled beer, start your celebrations off right with this refreshing—and appropriately colored—Chartreuse Clover St. Patrick's Day cocktail.
Wait, what's St. Patrick's Day?
St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of, you guessed it, Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland. March 17 celebrates the arrival of Christianity to Ireland and is seen as the date of St Patrick's death. A common way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day, in both America and Ireland, is by getting thoroughly drunk. This tradition stems from the fact that the traditional Lent restrictions on eating and drinking were lifted for St. Patrick’s Day, encouraging alcohol consumption.
So, tell me about this cocktail...
This St. Patrick's Day cocktail uses green chartreuse to add an appropriately green hue to the drink, making it easy to stay in theme while keeping it classy. Green chartreuse is the only liqueur in the world with a naturally green hue, which means it is the perfect addition to any St. Patrick’s Day cocktail.
Only a few French monks know the recipe and process of making green and yellow chartreuse, making it even more special. The recipe originates from more than 400 years ago when it was given to the monastic Order of the Chartreuse by Francois Hannibal d’ Estrées, the marshal of King Henri IV's artillery. Green (and yellow) chartreuse are strongly herbal and bright liqueurs, giving any drink an extra kick from the 130 plants involved in their brewing.
This St. Patrick's Day cocktail is made even more herbaceous by the addition of gin, but the bitterness that comes from the herbs is tempered by sweet pineapple juice and the warm spices of ginger simple syrup. The lime juice then adds just enough tartness to round out the cocktail.
How to Kick It up a Notch
I suggest garnishing your Chartreuse Clover Cocktail with a lime wheel, one of the simplest cocktail garnishes to make. Simply take a lime—not the one you used for juicing—and slice the fruit in half crosswise. Then, make another parallel cut about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch in from the edge of the first cut. To have it easily rest on the edge of your glass, make a cut from the center of the wheel out towards the peel. This provides a notch for the rim of the glass to slide into.
If you want to add a fancy rim to your glass, you can buy colored sugar or salt. Alternatively, you can easily make your own colored sugar or salt by adding a few drops of food coloring to a ½ cup of sugar or salt in a jar and shaking until the color is evenly distributed.
Chartreuse Clover Cocktail
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:0
- Total Time:5 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1.5 oz green chartreuse
- 1.5 oz gin
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz ginger syrup
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Ingredients
-
Step 1
Fill cocktail shaker with ice cubes and then add green chartreuse, gin, pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger syrup.
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Step 2
Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice cubes.
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Step 3
Garnish with a lime wheel and serve immediately.
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Now that St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching, don’t forget to make this cocktail to add a classy and refreshing option for your pre-gaming or celebratory drinking. With bright and herbal flavors, this easy-to-make St. Patrick's Day cocktail is sure to impress your friends and make them even happier than finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Even if you aren't in the mood for an alcoholic drink this holiday, try making a St. Patrick's Day hot chocolate or any one of these 17 Guinness-infused recipes.