If you’re after a cocktail that looks wild and hits hard, the Irish Trash Can drink is exactly that. It’s big, it’s blue, and it’s got a can of RedBull hanging out the top like it owns the place.
Before you look at how to make the Irish Trash Can, it’s worth taking 10 seconds to take note of the following:
- A: This is a strong drink (it contains 6 different spirits)
- B: You don’t have to lean the can in the glass (you can just pour it in)
- C: Pick premium gin and vodka, if you can (they make up a good chunk of the Irish Trash Can drink)
Irish Trash Can ingredients
There’s a lot of ingredients in the Irish Trash Can drink, but you should be able to grab most of them in any good corner store with a drinks section. You’ll need:
- 1/2 an ounce of gin (see our Irish gins guide)
- 1/2 an ounce of light rum (like Bacardi)
- 1/2 an ounce of vodka (we like Dingle vodka!)
- 1/2 an ounce of peach schnapps
- 1/2 an ounce of Bols Blue Curacao Liqueur
- 1/2 an ounce of Triple Sec (Cointreau also works)
- 5 ounces of RedBull
Irish Trash Can recipe
Although there’s a heap of ingredients, my Irish Trash Can recipe is very easy to follow and only takes a minute or so to get it ready to rock:
Step 1: Prep your (tall) glass
As there are a lot of ingredients in this Irish Trash Can recipe, you’ll need a nice, tall glass, then it’s time to chill!
You can pop it in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes or you can 1/2 fill it with ice and then swirl the ice around the glass until the glass is nice and cool.
Drain out any excess water and then top up the glass with more ice until it’s 1/2 filled.
Step 2: Assemble your cocktail
Pour 1/2 an ounce of gin, 1/2 an ounce of light rum, 1/2 an ounce of vodka, 1/2 an ounce of peach schnapps, 1/2 an ounce of Bols Blue Curacao Liqueur and 1/2 an ounce of Triple Sec into the glass and give it a quick stir.
Step 3: Either stick in the can of RedBull or gently pour
So, the regular Irish Trash Can recipe involves resting the can of RedBull in the glass and letting the liquid slowly enter the mixture. It looks cool, as the yellowy-green RedBull starts to seep into the blue mixture.
However, you can also just gently pour the RedBull into the glass, and it’s just as good. Garnish with a slice or twist of lemon and you’re ready to rock!
Discover more Irish cocktails
Looking to sip away on some other cocktails like the Irish Trash Can? Here’s some of our most popular drink guides to hop into:
- Best St Patrick’s Day Drinks: 17 Easy + Tasty St Patrick’s Day Cocktails
- 18 Traditional Irish Cocktails That Are Easy To Make (And Very Tasty)
- 14 Delicious Jameson Cocktails To Try This Weekend
- 15 Irish Whiskey Cocktails That’ll Tantalise Your Tastebuds
- 17 Of The Tastiest Irish Drinks (From Irish Beers To Irish Gins)
FAQs about the Irish Trashcan drink
We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘Is this cocktail very strong?’ to ‘Does the can have to be in the glass?’.
In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.
Why is it called an Irish Trash Can?
The “Irish” in the name likely comes from the drink’s striking green hue, which appears as the blue curaçao mixes with the yellowish Red Bull. As for the “Trash Can” part, that’s down to the chaotic mix of six different spirits and the way the Red Bull can is often left sitting in the glass, like an up-side-down trash can.
What’s in an Irish Trash Can drink?
The Irish Trash Can is a potent mix of six different spirits—gin, vodka, light rum, peach schnapps, blue curaçao, and triple sec—topped with a full can of Red Bull. It’s known for its vibrant blue-green color and strong kick.
How much alcohol is in the Trash Can cocktail?
With six half-ounce pours of spirits, the Irish Trash Can packs in about three ounces of hard liquor—before you even count the Red Bull. That makes it a seriously strong cocktail, so it’s best sipped with caution!