Isn’t this rainbow rim green Irish whiskey cocktail the cutest St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Day idea ever? It’s made with Irish whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and melon liqueur. The rainbow sugar rim makes this Irish whiskey mixed drink even more special while the lollipop, cherry and/or clover or shamrock make a wonderful garnish. You will love this green cocktail!
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If you’re looking for something other than a shamrock shake, green beer, Irish coffee or pint of Guinness, I heartily recommend this colourful Irish whiskey cocktail. It’s fun, festive and fabulous green cocktail.
Rainbow Irish Whiskey Cocktail Ingredients
In addition to being made with Irish whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and melon liqueur, this Irish whiskey mixed drink has pink cranberry juice and a few optional ingredients. You might as well add this to your list of the best whiskey drinks because this is it!
Jameson Irish whiskey is one of the best known Irish whiskies and it works nicely here, or you could use another brand of good Irish whiskey if you prefer. As for the sour apple schnapps, DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker is always good and there are several others to choose from. The melon liqueir is an important ingredient to give this colourful cocktail the green hue reminiscent of the Emerald Isles.
The optional ingredients in this St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Day drink are lemon wedges for rimming the glasses, although a lime wedge or even an orange wedge would be just as good and sanding sugar. While it is not a traditional Irish cocktail, the whiskey will make it a holiday favourite.
To make the rainbow sugar rim you’ll need a few different colours of sanding sugar. Choose from the whole rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (or sub purple for the last two) or just a few colours. Another idea is sticking with a single colour – perhaps silver or gold.
Rainbow lollipops, maraschino cherries and an edible shamrock or 4-leaf clover candy make a pretty decoration. You can use any of these or all of them or even omit them. You’ll see there are plenty of options with this rainbow Irish whiskey cocktail so you don’t have to use everything.
How to Make the Best Irish Whiskey Cocktail
Ready to get started on your Irish whiskey mixed drink for St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Day? The first thing to do is put the sanding sugar on a plate, laying the colours out next to each other so dipping the glass will pick up some of each.
Once that’s done you can moisten the rim of each glass using a lemon wedge. Then press it into the sanding sugar to make the rainbow sugar rim.
Now add the ice, whiskey, apple pucker, cranberry juice, and melon liqueur to a cocktail shaker and shake. Alternatively you can stir the mixture with a cocktail spoon. Either way it will come out chilled. Strain it into the prepared glasses.
The final step in making rainbow Irish whiskey cocktail drinks is to decorate them. Use rainbow lollipops or candies, edible shamrocks, cherries, or anything you like. They will give your Irish whiskey mixed drink a very special touch.
You might even have clovers or shamrocks in your backyard during the spring, which are edible. Obviously make sure the dog hasn’t ‘been’ in that area first!
So How Does It Taste?
This rainbow Irish whiskey cocktail is made with Irish whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and melon liqueur. So you can imagine there’s quite a contrast going on. You have the sharp bite of the whiskey, the sweetness of the melon liqueur and the sour zap of the schnapps! In addition there’s a little pink cranberry juice which offers both sweet and acidic elements.
Now if you can’t find pink cranberry juice you can use the regular kind. This is more intense tasting than the pink one. It will give the cocktail a slightly different colour and flavour.
Mix it all together and you can expect a well-balanced Irish whiskey cocktail which is largely sweet but has a nice acidic kick to it as well. There is extra sweetness of course if you’re decorating these St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Day cocktails with sweets, candies and cherries. No need for green food coloring in this St. Patrick’s Day cocktail! It is one of my favourite green drinks and Irish whiskey cocktails.
Green Irish Whiskey Cocktail Recipe
Rainbow Rim Green Irish Whiskey Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 Wedge lemon optional for rimming
- sanding sugar red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple – optional for rimming
- ice
- 1 1/2 Ounces whiskey Irish, such as Jameson
- 2 Ounces schnapps sour apple, such as DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker
- 1 Ounce cranberry juice pink
- 1 Ounce liqueur melon, such as Midori
- lollipop rainbow, optional for garnish
- Maraschino cherry optional for garnish
Instructions
- On a small, shallow plate, create a triangle of red sanding sugar beginning at the plate’s center and covering one-sixth of the plate. Starting, again, at the center of the plate, sprinkle a triangle of green sanding sugar directly across from the red triangle.
- While you could just go in color-order, I find it easier to make the triangles approximately the same size and shape if I begin with a mirror image of the red sugar. Continue adding colored sugars in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, then purple) until all of the colors are used and the circle is complete.
- Swipe a lemon wedge around the rim of a 6-ounce cocktail glass. Dip the rim of the glass down into the colored sugars.
- Fill cocktail mixing glass about halfway with ice. Add Irish whiskey,apple pucker, pink cranberry juice, and melon liqueur. Stir with a cocktail spoon for about 30 seconds, or until chilled throughout. Strain into prepared cocktail glass.
- If desired, rest a rainbow lollipop across the rim of the glass. Place a maraschino cherry and a shamrock/clover on top of the lollipop
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
You’re going to love this rainbow Irish whiskey cocktail. Not only does it blend a range of ingredients beautifully and boast a great flavour, but it’s a pretty drink too. This festive beverage made with Irish whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and melon liqueur can be decorated. However you wish and it’s sure to be a hit at any kind of St. Patty’s Day celebration. Everything from the beautiful rainbow sugar rim to the bright green colour ensures this will soon become a fast favourite around St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Day.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Can’t wait to try this. I love melon liquer
Such a fun cocktail idea, it’ll be perfect for a party
This cocktail is so much fun! I can’t wait to pour a few of these for St. Patrick’s Day.
It sounds delicous and LOOKS fabulous! Loving that rainbow rim ❤
Ok this is seriously the cutest! I love the rainbow!
This is absolutely perfect for St. Patricks day!