We know St. Patrick's Day is a holiday chock-full of rich history and long traditions, but in our eyes, that doesn't make it any less of a celebration of good drinks. Naturally, we want to honor that in the best way we know how — and that means drinking a lot of Irish-themed cocktails. With a slew of Irish-inspired drinks out there, we don't have to just stick to good ole beer. We can get creative — and we mean really creative.
For centuries, St. Patrick's Day was regarded as a "Feast Day," in which people celebrated Saint Patrick and his doing in making Christianity a thing in Ireland, and most of all, the upcoming Easter holiday. For that day, Irish Christians would eat and celebrate without those pesky Lent restrictions.
As immigrants made their way over to the United States, they brought their Irish pride with them. The first St. Patrick's Day parade ever held was in 1731 in Boston. Who knew so many would follow suit?
Oddly enough, drinking copious amounts of alcohol wasn't as synonymous with St. Patrick's Day back then as it is now. In the '80s, it began to catch on as a drinking holiday — and it hasn't exactly slowed down since.
Since we can't spend all of St. Paddy's Day drinking Guinness, here's a list of 15 Irish-themed cocktails that'll help anyone celebrate the holiday in style.
Irish Jello Shots
There are so few flags as iconic as the Irish one, and Hoosier Handmade's Irish Jello Shots capture that perfectly. Her creamy white layer uses sweetened condensed milk — genius, right?
Shamrock Punch
The beautiful thing about Passion for Saving's Shamrock Punch is that it can be family friendly … or not. A little Irish whiskey can only improve this recipe, as long as it's in a place the kids can't get to.
Green Leprechaun Cocktail
We love the fruity hints in Celebrations at Home's Green Leprechaun Cocktail so much that we're not even sure we want to wait until St. Patrick's Day. Who can blame us?
Boozy Shamrock Shake
Shamrock Shakes are great, but Boozy Shamrock Shakes are better. Plus, Cooking with Curls prepped a normal version and a vegan version, so all non-dairy folks are covered.
More from CafeMom: Traditional Irish Shepherd's Pie Recipe Just in Time for St. Patrick's Day
Homemade Baileys Irish Cream
Averie Cooks assures that making homemade Baileys Irish Cream is way easier than it seems. Plus, when we make it this way, we can adjust the strength of the alcohol — then feel less weird about sipping it straight from the glass.
Mint White Hot Chocolate
Shamrock Shakes are great … until we're freezing our buns off because it's March and we're drinking ice cream. But The Gracious Wife has us covered — her Mint White Hot Chocolate has just as much green, but way more warmth.
Mint Chip Cookietini
What's in a Mint Chip Cookietini, one asks? Only pure deliciousness, Irishness, and mintiness, The Snappy Gourmet says.
Shamrock Lime Sherbert Punch
This Shamrock Lime Sherbet Punch from *The Crafted Sparrow *is as lime green and Irish as it gets. It's a favorite drink of leprechauns everywhere — or so we'd guess.
More from CafeMom: The Ultimate Shamrock Shake Recipe for St. Patrick's Day
Shamrock Sour Cocktail
It's like a whiskey sour, but St. Patrick-fied: Pizzazzerie's Shamrock Sour Cocktail has all the green spirit we could ever need.
Mint Chocolate Chip Baileys Milkshake
There's something so fun about messing with a childhood classic like a milkshake, and we're all about having fun on St. Patrick's Day. So naturally, Family Food and Travel's Mint Chocolate Chip Baileys Milkshake is a must.
Irish Martini
With only three ingredients, Diethood's Irish Martini is all of our delicious, boozy dreams come true. We'll take one now, please!
Spiced Baileys Ice Cream Float
Okay, this drink is a little more akin to being dessert. But still, it sure is delicious. This recipe by Sweet Peas and Saffron uses just four ingredients: vanilla ice cream, Baileys Irish Cream, root beer, and a dash of cinnamon.
More from CafeMom: 25 of the Most Beautiful Irish Tattoos We've Ever Seen
Green Apple Sangria
For a lighter St. Patrick's Day drink, opt for making a pitcher of this Green Apple Sangria by Tipsy Bartender. This drink is for those peeps who want to skip spring altogether and go straight for summer.
Irish Whiskey Mojito
Keep the mint and freshness, but replace the rum with whiskey. Now we have a mojito that takes us from Cuba right to Ireland! Find the recipe by Lemons for Lulu.
Green Bloody Mary
Give everyone's favorite brunch cocktail an Irish twist by whipping up Green Bloody Mary's! Follow the recipe by Platings & Pairings, which uses yellow tomatoes and tomatillos.
