It’s St. Patrick’s Day! In keeping with the spirit (pun intended) of the holiday, we’ve put together a collection of literary-inspired cocktails! Dig out your green T-shirts, call your friends, and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these delicious drinks. We’ve listed the main ingredients and provided links to the original recipes.
7 Literary-Inspired Drinks You’ll Love
The Stream-of-Unconsciousness
It wouldn’t be right to kick off our list with anyone but James Joyce, arguably the greatest Irish novelist of all time. Celebrate the father of stream-of-consciousness style with a drink that is sure to have even the shyest of guests jabbering. Here’s what you’ll need for these Joyce-inspired Saint Patrick’s Day drinks:
- 1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey
- 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
- 3/4 ounce Cointreau
- 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger may have had a reputation as a hermit, but we bet a few sips of this cocktail would make him as sociable as Saturday night in an Irish pub. Put the rye back in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye with this delicious cocktail:
- 1 1/2 ounces rye
- 1 ounce Amontillado sherry
- 1/2 ounce Torani Amer
- 1/4 ounce Grand Marnier
- A dash of bitters
The Slytherin
Many fans of the Harry Potter series are definitely old enough to enjoy this tempting brew! Slytherin may not be the most popular Hogwarts House, but this delicious green cocktail will show your Irish pride while tempting Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Ravenclaws to rethink their House allegiances.
- 1 ounce schnapps, sour apple pucker
- 1 ounce vodka, vanilla
The Hemingway
Hemingway once said, “Write drunk, edit sober,” and if you follow his advice, there will be lots of writing happening on Saint Patrick’s Day—and probably a lot of “What was I thinking?” editing occurring the next day. Here’s a Hemingway favorite that is sure to get the job done:
- 2 ounces whiskey
- Repeat
The Margarita Atwood
Margaret Atwood’s long, storied career as Canada’s foremost writer has been marked by achievement after achievement. But the two-time Booker Prize winner is also well-known for her killer margarita recipe:
- 3/4 cup fresh lime juice, about 3 large limes
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp. tequila
- 1/4 cup Gran Torres orange liqueur
- Lime wedges
- About 1 1/2 cups small (or coarsely broken) ice cubes
- Coarse salt (for the rim, of course)
The Sherlock Holmes
Leave it to a master sleuth to deduce the most deliciously debilitating drink for Saint Patrick’s Day. Two of these and the St. Paddy’s games will be afoot—or asleep!
- Ice
- 1 1/2 ounces single-malt scotch, preferably Laphroaig
- 2 ounces chilled brewed lapsang souchong tea
- 1 ounce honey syrup
- 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
The Bloody Stephen King
The only thing more frightening than a great Stephen King book is the day after St. Patrick’s Day. The hangovers from the night before can be brutal, so consider mixing up a Bloody Stephen King (aka Bloody Mary) and take the edge off last night’s nightmare:
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 ounces of vodka
- 3/4 cup spicy tomato-vegetable juice
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash hot pepper sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1 stalk celery
Sláinte! Cheers!
If none of these literary-inspired drinks seems like the right choice to wet your whistle, remember the immortal words of Hunter S. Thompson: “Good people drink good beer.” And there will be plenty of dyed-green beer available on March 17! If you’re a teetotaler, you can still celebrate the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day with a delicious, healthy cup of green tea!
QUESTION: What’s your favorite Irish-inspired cuisine to indulge in while reading or writing?
Corned beef & cabbage.