🏠 » Cocktails » Swank Cocktail Guide: 80 cocktails in 80 days
The Shamrock is cocktail number 67 on the Swank Cocktail Guide.
Shamrock cocktail history
The creator of the Shamrock cocktail is unknown. However, in 1900, James C. Maloney included a Shamrock cocktail recipe on page 43 of The 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks. The recipe, which includes Abricotine, pineapple syrup, lemon juice and Irish whisky, differs from the 1950s Swank Cocktail guide version.
1905 Shamrock cocktail, hold the Orange bitters
A 1905 New York Times newspaper article about the St. Patrick’s Day parade, includes a Shamrock consisting of Irish whisky and French (Dry) Vermouth:
The long delay preliminary to the starting of the parade tempted a company of soldiers stalled before the Hotel Netherland to seek ice water at the bar in the hotel. The bartender, who came to this country with the intention of becoming a policemen, and changed his mind when he found that he lacked an inch of the required height, insisted that they take “Shamrock cocktails.”
“What’s that?” asked a member of the Sixty-ninth.
“Just a little Irish whisky, some Frenche vermouth, and a dash of Orange bitters.”
Quiet was restored when the bitters were omitted.”
William T. Boothby’s 1934 Shamrock cocktail
Hon. William T. Boothby included two Shamrock cocktail recipe in this 1934 “Cocktail Bill” Boothby’s World Drinks and How to Mix Them on page 153. The Shamrock No. 2 recipe is very similar to the Swank Cocktail guide version.
Shamrock
Gin 1/3 jigger
Orange 2 dashes
Creme de Menthe 1/3 jigger
Lemon 2 dashes
Egg 1/2 of white
Shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass and serve.
Shamrock, No. 2
Whisky 1/3 jigger
Chartreuse (green) 3 dashes
Fr. Vermouth 1/3 jigger
Creme de Menthe 3 dashes
Shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass and serve.
Shamrock cocktail recipe
1/2 Irish Whiskey, 1/2 Dry Vermouth, 3 dashes each Green Chartreuse and Creme de Menthe. Stir with ice and strain & serve with green olive.
Ingredients used:
- Irish Whiskey substitute: Crown Royal Canadian Whisky
- Dolin Dry Vermouth
- Green Chartreuse
- Hiram Walker Creme de Menthe
- Greek olive
Shamrock cocktail review
Our ratings (1-5 🍸)
Greg: 🍸🍸🍸
Kim: 🍸🍸🍸
We didn’t have any Irish Whiskey on hand, so we substituted Canadian Whisky. We actually liked the Shamrock more than we thought we would. It is lightly minty. A good, one-and-done, celebration cocktail. Drinkable, but probably not ordered or mixed except on St. Patrick’s day or perhaps Christmas.
As a nod to Ireland, we served the Shamrock in Lismore Waterford glasses.
Next up… Cocktail # 68, Sidecar
