Irish Lemonade
Irish Lemonade is a wonderfully refreshing cocktail that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! Flavors of fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, Irish whiskey and ginger beer work together perfectly. Make sure to serve it with a sprig of fresh rosemary for the ultimate aromatic experience!
Feel the luck of the Irish with recipes like Irish Coffee and homemade Irish Cream!
Table of Contents
While there are so many great whiskey cocktails, like Whiskey Sour, why not create one more! This new Irish Lemonade is so perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. If you have a whiskey lover in your life, this is the sweet, tart, and a little spicy cocktail to treat them to.
The ingredients are very simple but all work together beautifully to create a strong and refreshing flavor. Make sure to use ginger beer and not ginger ale because ginger ale soda is too sweet and has a mild ginger flavor. Ginger beer flavor is more natural and much stronger. My favorite part is the way rosemary aroma compliments the flavors is the cocktail.
Even through rosemary is just a garnish, it’s essential. The scent of rosemary mixes with the taste of ginger, lemon, and whiskey while you sip and created a unique flavor that’s very complimentary. To release the scent you can slap it a few times or even torch it for a few seconds.
Ingredient Notes
Irish Whiskey – Jameson is the most common Irish whiskey choice but you can also try Tullamore D.E.W., Dead Rabbit, Bushmills, or any other one you love.
Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is the best choice. Bottled lemon juice tastes very different from freshly squeezed, so try to grab a few lemons at the store instead of a bottle.
Simple Syrup – Simple syrup is a mix of equal parts of sugar and hot water. You can easily make a larger batch of simple syrup and keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container to use when needed. When stored properly, it should last up to a month in the refrigerator.
Ginger Beer – Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic beverage made with ginger, sugar, and water. It has a strong and spicy ginger flavor and pleasantly aromatic. It is the best choice for this cocktail – far better than a ginger ale!
Rosemary – Fresh rosemary is an important ingredient even though it’s just a garnish. The scent of rosemary works wonders when sipping on this refreshing cocktails. It adds a very special touch that you don’t want to miss out on!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Irish Lemonade
Add the lime juice and whiskey. To a cocktail shaker, add the correct amounts of freshly squeezed lime juice (1) and Irish whiskey (2).
Add simple syrup and shake. This is the fun part! Pour in the simple syrup (3) and vigorously shake to combine all ingredients (4).
Pour. Add ice cubes to an old fashioned glass and pour the mixture (5).
Enjoy! Pour about 3 ounces of ginger beer into the glass (6), gently stir, and add a sprig of fresh rosemary.
PRO TIP: To release the scent you can slap the rosemary sprigs between your hands. And for even more, stronger aroma, torch it for a few seconds.
Recipe FAQs
Since this is an “Irish” lemonade, I recommend using Irish whiskey like Jameson, Tullamore D.E.W., Dead Rabbit, Bushmills, etc. If you don’t like Irish whiskey, feel free to use your favorite whiskey, rye whiskey, or bourbon.
Personally, I love to use either Q or Fever Tree ginger beer. Both of those are not too sweet and have a strong, natural ginger flavor.
Personally, I do not like Goslings ginger beer because it tastes more like a ginger ale. It’s too sweet and not enough ginger flavor.
Actually yes! This cocktail has a lot of non-alcoholic ingredients to make a mock cocktail version. Simply omit the whiskey and enjoy over ice.
More Whiskey/Bourbon Cocktail Recipes
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Irish Lemonade – Whiskey Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 oz Irish whiskey
- 1 lemon – juice only
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 3 oz ginger beer
- 1 3-inch sprig of rosemary
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, simple syrup, and whiskey in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake vigorously for a couple of seconds and pour it into a old fashioned glass with ice.
- Pour about 3 ounces of ginger beer into the glass, gently stir, and add a sprig of rosemary that is about 3 inches long.
Notes
- Whiskey options: Since this is an “Irish” lemonade, I recommend using Irish whiskey like Jameson, Tullamore D.E.W., Dead Rabbit, Bushmills, etc. If you don’t like Irish whiskey, feel free to use your favorite whiskey, rye whiskey, or bourbon.
- Ginger beer option: Personally, I love to use either Q or Fever Tree ginger beer. Both of those are not too sweet and have a strong, natural ginger flavor.
- Non-alcoholic option: Actually yes! This cocktail has a lot of non-alcoholic ingredients to make a mock cocktail version. Simply omit the whiskey and enjoy over ice.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in March 2020.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
So refreshing! Thanks for the recipe!