7 Irish Shot Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

Every year on March 17th, Ireland, Irish people and anyone in the USA looking for a reason to drink alcohol, celebrates St. Patrick's Day with friends and family and St. Patrick's Day shots.

I mean, St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland, what more reason to drink than that? Who likes snakes? No one. That's who. Let's drink Irish shots!!! (There actually is more to it then just snake-wrangling and the history of the holiday is laid out here)

Guinness, Jameson and Baileys are the typical adult beverages of choice on St. Patrick's Day, but there are also a lot of fun and tasty St. Patrick's Day shots that are easy to make and get you into the spirit.

Here are 7 Irish Shot Recipes for St. Patrick's Day. "Why seven?" You ask. "Because seven is lucky, like the Irish," I say. Anyways ...

Legend has it, The Nutty Irishman was created in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day in 1983 and named after Finnegan O'Leary who believed he was the reincarnate of St. Patrick. Finnegan would run through the streets shouting "Snakes! Snakes!" while bashing mail boxes, fire hydrants and passer-bys with a wooden stick. Today his whereabouts are unknown.

That's not true. I don't know when The Nutty Irishman shot was created, but "Nutty" is most likely in reference to the hazelnut flavor of the Frangelico and it is an easy shot recipe for St. Patrick's Day.

(The Nutty Irishman can also be served as a cocktail. Simply add more liquor, which shouldn't be a problem for most St. Patrick's Day celebrators.)

- Baileys Irish Cream              - Fill Shaker w/ Ice
- Frangelico                            - Pour in 1/2-oz. Frangelico
- Ice Cubes                             - Pour in 1/2-oz. Baileys
- Bar Shaker                           - Pour in 1/2-oz. Cream
- Shot Glass                           - Shake & Pour in Shot Glass

Have you already had 10 pints of Guinness on St. Patrick's Day and don't know if you can finish another 16 ounces? Or Maybe you suffer from "Small Hand Syndrome" and have trouble holding a full pint glass. Not a problem. Now there is the Baby Guinness shot for St. Patrick's Day to solve all your alcohol consumption problems.

There are only two ingredients in this Irish shot recipe, but it does require a bit of a steady hand. Not "brain surgeon" steadiness, but maybe avoid asking old Finnegan O'Leary to make your Baby Guinness.

- Kahlua                                - Pour 3/4-oz. Kahlua
- Baileys Irish Cream            - Hold Spoon Over Shot Glass
- Spoon                                 - Pour 1/4-oz. Baileys onto Spoon
- Shot Glass                          - Let Spoon Contents Seep into Glass

Pouring the Baileys directly into the shot glass will cause the two liquors to mix together. Whereas if you let the Irish cream seep into the top of the glass, it will create the iconic look of a head of foam on top of a pint of Guinness. Arthur would be proud!

What's St. Patrick's Day without a little whiskey? Probably St. Boring's Day. OK, that's a stretch, but why even find out? Instead, try The Dubliner, an Irish shot that combines Irish whiskey, Irish Mist and a little ooh, la, la whip cream.

For whatever reason, the ladies seem to love shot recipes that involve whip cream, so, if you are having a few more Patricias at your party than Patricks, you might want to give The Dubliner a shot.

Ingredients:                                       Shot Recipe:
- Jameson / Irish Whiskey                  - Fill Shaker w/ Ice
- Irish Mist                                           - Pour in 1/2-oz. Irish Whiskey
- Whip Cream                                     - Pour in 1/2-oz. Irish Mist
- Ice Cubes                                         - Shake & Pour into Shot Glass
- Bar Shaker                                       - Squirt Whip Cream on Top
- Shot Glass

The name is a bit controversial (in reference to extreme tactics used by the Provisional Republic Irish Army) to some, but The Irish Car Bomb is one Irish shot recipe you won't soon forget.

I'm going to go ahead and say that The Irish Car Bomb is my favorite St. Patrick's Day shot. In fact, it may be my favorite shot, period. Quote me!

The Irish Car Bomb recipe is so simple and delicious, you'll wonder why you hadn't been drinking them for years. I'm wondering why I'm not drinking one right now (Oh, yeah. It's not even noon yet.).

What makes The Irish Car Bomb so dynamite (pun intended), is that it combines the three key Irish drinks and liquors served on St. Patrick's Day: Guinness, Jameson & Baileys Irish Cream

- Guinness Stout                    - Fill 3/4 Pint Glass w/ Guinness
- Jameson Irish Whiskey       - Pour 1/2-oz. Jameson in Shot Glass
- Baileys Irish Cream             - Pour 1/2-oz. Baileys in Shot Glass
- Pint Glass                            - Drop Shot Glass into Pint Glass
- Shot Glass                           - Chug! Chug! Chug!

If The Irish Car Bomb scared you away, here is something a little more lovey, dovey. Next time your girlfriend or boyfriends says they want to cuddle, forget the hugging and snuggling and go straight for the liquor cabinet.

The Irish Cuddle is similar to both the Baby Guinness and Nutty Irishman in that it only incorporates two ingredients, one being Baileys Irish Cream.

Ingredients:                            Shot Recipe:
- Amaretto                                - Fill Shaker w/ Ice
- Baileys Irish Cream               - Pour 1/2-oz. Amaretto
- Ice Cubes                              - Pour 1/2-oz. Baileys
- Bar Shaker                            - Shake & Pour
- Shot Glass

Bring a little patriotism and bartending razzle-dazzle to your St. Patrick's Day party with The Irish Flag shot.

First presented to Thomas Francis Meagher (likely a historic Irish man) in 1848 by a group of French women, the Irish flag is green, white and orange and represents peace and Irish nationalism. However, The Irish Flag shot represents delicious debauchery and St. Patrick's Day fun!

I prefer the latter. But, to each their own. Any hoo.

Similar to the Baby Guinness, the Irish Flag Shot recipe requires a steady hand in order to create the appearance of the Irish flag in the shot glass. If you can pull it off, you'll have an Irish shot worth saluting.

- Creme De Menth                - Pour 1/2-oz. Creme De Menth
- Orange Grand Marnier       - Pour 1/2-oz. Baileys onto Spoon
- Baileys Irish Cream              & Let Seep into Shot Glass
- Spoon                                 - Pour 1/2-oz. Orange Grand Marnier
- Shot Glass                            onto Spoon & Let Seep into Shot Glass

Make sure to follow the recipe in the exact order in order to create the appearance of the Irish flag and to avoid the liquors mixing together. Similar to The Irish Car Bomb, you won't want to admire the shot too long as the contents will soon begin to curdle.

Not feeling creative? Just want to get snackered? Not to worry. This Irish shot is simple and sure to do the trick. Heck, it's been doing the trick in Ireland for hundreds and hundreds of years, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it .... just drink it!

Ingredients:                        Shot Recipe:
- Irish Whiskey                      - Fill Shot Glass w/ Irish Whiskey
- Shot Glass

Any Irish whiskey will do. Jameson, Powers, Paddy's, The Knot, you name it. Mr. Boston's whiskey, well, as your personal St. Patrick's Day Irish shot advisor, I can't recommend that, but if the pocketbook is a little light, who am I to judge.

OK, so admittedly, that last one wasn't much of a shot recipe but more of a "Get Drunk Fast" solution and since I promised you seven St. Patrick's Day shot recipes and I am a man of my Internet word, here you go:

I have seen this shot called The St. Patrick's Day shot, and I don't like that name, so, I'll be changing it to The Drunk Leprechaun (If you are the original inventor of this shot and have copyrighted the name "The St. Patrick's Day Shot", I apologize and will change the name back upon request, but because likely no more than four people will ever read this, I feel the odds of that occurring are very, very slim).

Ingredients:                        Shot Recipe:
- Creme De Menth               - Fill Bar Shaker w/ Ice
- Green Chartreuse              - Pour 1/2-oz. Creme De Menth
- Irish Whiskey                     - Pour 1/2-oz. Green Chartreuse
- Bitters                                - Pour 1/2-oz. Irish Whiskey
- Ice Cubes                          - Dash of Bitters
- Bar Shaker                        - Shake & Pour into Shot Glass
- Shot Glass