Do you know what’s great about green beer? Absolutely nothing, you filthy animal, that was a trick question. To help you rise above those green-toothed suckers swilling down their flavorless lagers, we tapped a few of the country’s top bartenders and got recipes for some truly delectable cocktails that just happen to be green. Get ready to blow some minds.
It’s time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo’s weekend booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science and alcohol. Pinch me.
Shamrock Cocktail
First off, we have a cocktail custom made for the occasion. It comes to us from mixologist Freddy Diaz, president at Alambiq, a mixology consulting company based out of Florida.
Ingredients:
- 45mL Plymouth Gin
- 15mL Pernod Absinthe
- 20mL freshly squeezed lime juice
- 15mL sugar syrup
- 1x egg white
- Angostura bitters
Add ingredients in a shaker glass. Dry shake without ice to emulsify egg whites. Add ice and shake vigorously, then strain in a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an Angostura Bitter sprayed shamrock. For shamrock garnish, draw or print out a picture of a shamrock and cut out on a plastic sheet or hard cardboard paper. Add Angostura bitters to a mister. Place template over glass and spray over cocktail until you have your Shamrock.
Green Giant
Our next stop is with our dear friend Anne-Louise Marquis, who has helped us out on more than one occasion. She reps Pernod now, which just happens to be green, don’t it? Her go-to green drink is the Hada Verde, or Green Fairy:
Ingredients:
- 30mL blanco tequila
- 15mL Pernod Absinthe
- 30mL lime juice
- 20mL sugar syrup
- pinch of seasalt
- freshly muddled rosemary
Build, shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
Alternatively, you can make a punch called the Green Beast, which we showed you how to do in our absinthe popsicles episode.
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Kale InComparison
From the critically acclaimed cocktail bar Apothéke in Manhattan, Caitlin Conley brings us this pun-tastic drink, which actually sounds as healthy as it sounds delicious.
Ingredients:
- 7mL fresh kale juice
- 20mL fresh pineapple juice
- 15mL fresh lime juice
- 15mL sugar syrup
- dash of ginger juice
- 60mL vodka
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass with a salted rim.
Dang. We might just have to add that to our list of the healthiest drinks.
Margaritas and Mojitos
We asked our old friend Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo and Booker and Dax fame to weigh in. The man’s advice? Keep it simple. Make a mojito or a margarita. Good call. If you’re not into fancy, you don’t have to be. And if you want them to be greener, muddle some fresh kiwi into them.
The point is you can do better. Much better. You don’t need to stain your insides green or get punched in the face for ordering a car bomb to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. On the other hard, if you do want to make Car Bomb Jello Shots or my original recipe for Cold-Brew Irish Coffee, those are highly recommended.
Big thank-yous to Anne-Louise Marquis, Freddy Diaz, Tom Macy, Caitlin Conley and Sother Teague for helping out.