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Cocktail History
The Drunken Leprechaun is a St. Patrick’s Day cocktail that was created by Rebecca Hubbel and was first published on her blog Sugar & Soul. The recipe was made as an Irish-inspired variation of the Screwdriver that uses blended Irish whiskey as the base spirit instead of vodka and adds blue curaçao to the mix to turn the recipe bright green. Our version also includes Green Chartreuse for a bit more complexity.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. We used freshly squeezed orange juice.
Irish Whiskey: This is a type of whiskey made in Ireland made with unmalted or malted barley, cereal grains, spices, and water. We used Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey because it has a rich, warming taste. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the Irish whiskey.
Blue Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, spices, blue food coloring, and alcohol. We used DeKuyper Blue Curaçao Liqueur because it has a potent orange flavor and bright blue color. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the blue curaçao liqueur.
Green Chartreuse: This is a liqueur made in France with over a hundred herbs and plants, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try winter herb syrup in place of the Green Chartreuse.
Orange Wedge: This is a slice of an orange that has been cut into a half wheel shape.
Cherry: This is a fruit that has been soaked in rich syrup.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Drunken Leprechaun features aromas of citrus and whiskey and has an orange-heavy taste that has a strong backbone of whiskey and a slightly bitter herbal note on the finish.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We knew this drink would be quite delicious given how simple it is, but we liked it even more after the Green Chartreuse was added. It adds a touch of complexity to an easy cocktail that would be great for a crowd at a lunchtime or early afternoon party.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This is one of those cocktails we pulled from a blog because it looked cool, and going in, we knew it was a simple whiskey-laced Screwdriver with some blue liqueur for color. We decided to add a touch of Green Chartreuse not only for its own color but for the herbaceousness it would add to the finished product, and though this one it didn’t exactly blow us away, it was an improvement over the original. The drink is great to begin with, but the French alpine liqueur takes it up a notch or two, and it makes for a great party drink to please anyone.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This recipe is a little kitschier than we usually like our drinks to be, but even with its somewhat silly green color, I’ll admit it’s quite tasty. Our addition of Green Chartreuse takes the flavor from orange juice with a hint of whiskey to a delightfully herbal and citrusy ride. Given that it’s essentially just a Screwdriver, this would be great for a St. Paddy’s Day brunch or afternoon party with friends who usually prefer simple drinks.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Sugar & Soul, an online food and beverage publication.
Add orange juice, whiskey, blue curaçao, Green Chartreuse, and cubed ice to a highball glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with orange wedge and cherry.
Ingredients
Directions
Add orange juice, whiskey, blue curaçao, Green Chartreuse, and cubed ice to a highball glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with orange wedge and cherry.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey, Monin Premium Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the blue curaçao liqueur, and winter herb syrup in place of the Green Chartreuse to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Whiskey Cocktails
If you like this whiskey-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Stone Fence: A bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, Angostura Aromatic bitters, and mint
Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel
Falling Leaves: A rye cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, toasted fig syrup, chocolate bitters, and an orange slice
Mountain Man: A bourbon cocktail made with lemon juice, peach liqueur, ginger syrup, maple syrup, and candied ginger
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