15 Easy And Tasty Irish Whiskey Cocktails And Drinks

In this guide you’ll find tasty and easy-to-make Irish whiskey cocktails.

I’ve spent the last 25 years working my way through Irish beers and Irish whiskey drinks, and have tried the good, the bad and the veeeery ugly!

Below, you’ll find the tastiest Irish whiskey mixed drinks, from classic St Patrick’s Day cocktails to some easy weekend sippers.

The best Irish whiskey cocktails

The first section of our guide looks at our favourite Irish whiskey drinks. These are Irish cocktails we’ve had many… many times over the years.

Below, you’ll find everything from the Irish Maid and the Irish Mudslide to some often overlooked Irish whiskey cocktail recipes.

1. The Irish Maid

Few Irish whiskey cocktails can go toe-to-toe with the Irish Maid when it comes to taste and simplicity.

This is a wonderfully refreshing cocktail that’s easy to rustle up and that takes a couple of minutes to create.

All you need is some whiskey, some fresh lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup and some cucumber.

You need to muddle the cucumber in a shaker and add your ingredients (see measures here). Shake well and strain into a glass 1/2 filled with ice.

2. The Irish Lemonade

Irish Lemonade is one of my go-to Jameson whiskey drinks if I’m having friends over, as you can easily mix up a big jug of it and let people help themselves.

Take your favourite Irish whiskey brand, ginger beer (you can use club soda, too!), bitters and fresh mint and add them to a glass 1/2 filled with ice.

Stir and serve. This is regarded as one of the easiest Irish whiskey cocktails for good reason!

3. The Irish Mudslide

Few Irish whiskey cocktail recipes are as indulgent as the  Irish Mudslide and it’ll suit those of you looking for a cocktail to serve up for desert.

You’ll need Baileys, whiskey, Kahlua, chocolate syrup, chocolate for garnishing and either cream or ice cream (the ice cream version, found here, packs a punch).

This Irish whiskey recipe is guaranteed to impress and, although it might look tricky to make, it really isn’t.

4. Irish Eyes

Green Irish whiskey cocktails are all the rage around St. Patrick’s Day, but it doesn’t need to be March 17th to enjoy an Irish Eyes (don’t worry – you won’t need green food colouring!).

Ingredients wise, you need green Crème de menthe, cream, whiskey and Baileys.

To make it, add your ingredients to a shaker that’s 1/2 filled with ice. Shake hard and strain into a glass with ice.

5. The Irish Whiskey Ginger

The Irish Whiskey Ginger is arguably one of the best-known Jameson whiskey drinks.

Celebrated for its simplicity, you can whip this one up in less than a minute.

You need a good whiskey, some ginger ale, lime and ice, and that’s it!

Just add all of the ingredients into a glass 1/2 filled with ice, stir and you’re good to go.

6. The Irish Mule

The Irish Mule is one of the more straightforward drinks with Irish whiskey and, thanks to its relatively light and refreshing taste, it’s an easy sip even for those that aren’t fond of whiskey.

You’ll need whiskey, ginger beer, lime and ice for this one. Add ice, whiskey and the juice from 1 slice of lime to a medium sized glass.

Then pour in your ginger beer and stir. Add an additional slice of lime for garnish.

7. Irish Sour

The Irish Sour is a stunner of an Irish whiskey cocktail and, while it looks elegant and impressive, it’s a relatively easy one to knock up.

Grab some whiskey, egg whites, lemon juice, simple syrup, some Angostura bitters and ice (measurements here). 

Then 1/2 fill a shaker with ice and add whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg whites and 3 dashes of the bitters. Shake hard and strain into a glass. Top with a twist of lime.

8. Irish Gold

I’ve made the Irish Gold more than any other Irish whiskey mixed drinks in this guide. Mainly as it’s easy to rustle up, but also as it’s refreshing and has a good kick to it.

You’ll need whiskey, peach schnapps, fresh orange juice, ginger ale and a lime to knock this one up.

Pour the ingredients into a glass 1/2 filled with ice and squeeze in the juice from 1 slice of lime.

Stir and garnish with another slice of lime. If you have someone that’s on the fence about drinks with Irish whiskey, this is an excellent gateway cocktail to try them with.

9. The Irish Margarita

Yes, it’s time for more green Irish whiskey drink recipes, but this time it’s a classic!

The Irish Margarita can be made with or without the green food colouring and it’s one of the more potent cocktails in this guide.

Ingredients wise, you need whiskey, lime juice, orange-flavoured liqueur, simple syrup and green food colouring (optional).

Dress up the rim of the glass with sugar (here’s how) and then add all of your ingredients to a shaker.

Shake well and strain into a glass. Garnish with a thin slice of lime and you’re all set.

10. The Irish Slammer

There aren’t many cocktails with Irish whiskey that pack a punch as much as the Irish Slammer (you just need to be very careful that it doesn’t curdle!).

1/2 fill a large glass with your favourite Irish stout.

The take a shot glass and fill it with equal parts whiskey and Baileys (add the whiskey first).

You then drop the shot into the stout and knock it back. 

11. The Irish Old Fashioned

Next up is another of my favourite cocktails with Irish whiskey – the Irish Old Fashioned.

This is an Irish take on a classic cocktail and it’s one for those of you that enjoy a strong taste of whiskey.

For this one, you’ll need whiskey, sugar syrup, orange bitters and Angostura bitters.

Add your ingredients into a chilled glass that’s 1/2 full with ice. Stir and add an orange twist to the top.

12. Irish Coffee

Arguably the best-known out of all of the drinks with Irish whiskey in this guide, the Irish Coffee has been doing the rounds since 1943.

It’s a great after-dinner drink and it’s simple to make. Ingredients wise, you’ll need whiskey, ground coffee, Demerara sugar, fresh cream, nutmeg and dark chocolate for garnishing.

There’s a knack to floating the cream, which you’ll discover if you click the button below. You don’t have to splash out with the spirit for this one – there’s plenty of cheap Irish whiskey brands that work well!

13. The Irish Mojito

The Irish Mojito is a take on the summer-time classic!

This is another of our go-to Irish whiskey cocktails for parties, as even those that don’t like whiskey find this one tasty.

You’ll need whiskey, lime, fresh mint, sugar and either ginger beer or club soda (I tend to opt for the ginger).

The one warning I’ll give you is to be careful when muddling the mint, limes and sugar (info as to why here).

14. The Irish Trash Can

Next up is one of the most potent Irish whiskey drink recipes – the Irish Trash Can.

This thing is strong so make sure to know your limits when you’re drinking it.

It can be served with a can of RedBull sticking out of it, but I prefer to pour the energy drink in.

You’ll also need gin, light rum, vodka, peach schnapps, Bols Blue Curacao Liquer and Triple Sec.

15. The Irish Negroni

Last but by no means least in our guide to the best Irish whiskey drinks is the Irish Negroni (AKA the ‘Rosie Negroni’).

This is a strong tasting tipple that’s made with whiskey, Campari, sweet vermouth, a fresh orange and ice.

To make it, you add your ingredients to a large glass and stir. Then strain the mixture into a fresh glass with ice and serve topped with a twist of lemon.

Have any Irish whiskey recipes you’d like to recommend?

I’ve no doubt that we’ve unintentionally left out some brilliant Irish whiskey recipes from the guide above.

If you have any Irish whiskey drinks that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments below and I’ll check it out!

FAQs about the best Irish whiskey cocktails

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What are the most potent drinks to make with Irish whiskey?’ to ‘Which Irish whiskey drinks are best for parties?’.

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.