Creative cocktails with an Irish twist to toast the long weekend

Easter might be known for chocolatey treats and family dinners, but if you’re looking for something a little more grown-up, we have you covered. We asked experts from around the country to share their creations, alongside some of our own, to get you in the bank holiday spirit. All recipes serve one.

Coole Blue

Sweet and simple, this cocktail is made with Irish spirit Coole Swan, and looks like it would be right at home in a Star Wars movie – a win-win, right?

Ingredients

Ice

25ml Coole Swan

15ml blue curacao

35ml Grand Marnier

15ml tequila blanco

Edible flower, like an orchid, to garnish

Method

1. Chill a coupe glass with some ice.

2. Add the spirits to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly for ten seconds.

3. Remove ice from the chilled coupe glass, then strain in the cocktail. Garnish with the edible flower, then serve.

Coole Smooth

Smooth like its name with a hint of spice, this cocktail suits the Easter season perfectly.

Ingredients

2 Twining's Dark Chai teabags

100ml cold water

Ice

25ml Coole Swan

25ml spiced rum

15ml Monin Cannelle or other cinnamon syrup

15ml sweet brown sherry

Maraschino cherries, to garnish

Method

1. Place the tea bags into the water and leave to brew.

2. Once well brewed, remove the tea bags and pour into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add the remaining ingredients, excluding the garnish, and shake well.

3. Strain into a chilled flute glass and serve, garnished with the maraschino cherries.

Wildegarden Cup

This cocktail uses Hendrick’s Flora Adora, the brand’s newest gin. Made with a secret floral bouquet, this flower-inspired spirit is used here to create a delicate, refreshing tipple.

Ingredients

Ice

50ml Hendrick’s Flora Adora

25ml lemon juice

25ml simple syrup

4 raspberries

6 mint leaves

150ml soda water

To garnish

3 cucumber wheels

Handful mint leaves and raspberries

Method

1. Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the gin, lemon juice, syrup, raspberries and mint.

2. Lightly stir, then top with the soda water. Garnish and serve.

Dark & Stormier

This recipe from The Croke Park Hotel is a uniquely Irish take on a classic cocktail.

Ingredients

10ml Jameson Irish Whiskey

5ml Fernet-Branca

10ml lime juice

10ml simple syrup

50ml Guinness

100ml Fever-Tree ginger ale

Method

1. Fill a glass with ice, then gently layer in the ingredients one by one.

2. Top with ginger ale, then float the Guinness on top and serve.

Mama’s Cup

This citrus-focused cocktail from Knockranny House Hotel will pair perfectly with your Easter lunch.

Ingredients

Ice

35ml Kilbeggan Whiskey

22ml Grand Marnier

30ml blood orange juice

20ml lemon juice

20ml honey syrup

3 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

Split vanilla pod or cinnamon to serve

Method

1. Chill your glass by placing a few ice cubes inside and then set it aside.

2. Using a reverse shaker, fill one side with ice and pour in all the ingredients.

3. Shake hard, making sure the ice touches both the top and the bottom of your shaker, then fine strain back into the cocktail shaker.

4. Dry shake again before pouring your Mama’s Cup into your chilled cocktail glass.

5. Finally, garnish with a split vanilla pod or a sprinkle of cinnamon to serve.

Slane Rose

This cocktail recipe comes from Slane Distillery’s lead mixologist Barry Farrell. It requires a few different ingredients, but the flavour is worth the effort.

Ingredients

50ml Slane Irish Whiskey

2 blackberries

25ml Chambord

15ml honey syrup

15ml fresh lemon juice

150ml pineapple juice

1 dash Barmbrack Off the Cuffe Bitters

Ice

Dehydrated lemon wheel to garnish

Method

1. Collect your equipment: you’ll need a cocktail shaker, hawthorn strainer, fine mesh strainer, jigger and bar mixing spoon and muddler.

2. Add the whiskey and blackberries to the cocktail shaker and muddle.

3. Once the flavour has been released from the fruit, add the rest of the ingredients except the ice and garnish.

4. Dry shake together for 10 seconds with no ice before adding ice cubes to half-fill the cocktail shaker. Shake for another 20 seconds, then double strain into a large martini glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel on top, then serve.

Easter martini

Would it really be right to celebrate without an Easter-themed cocktail? Skip dessert this year and try this instead.

Ingredients

Ice

45ml vanilla vodka

30ml white chocolate liqueur

30ml double cream

Garnish

Whipped cream

Caramel sauce

Chocolates of your choice

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add the vodka, white chocolate liqueur and cream.

2. Shake well for about 20-30 seconds, then strain into a chilled martini glass.

3. Scoop some whipped cream on top, then garnish with caramel sauce and chocolate of your choice – mini bunnies or mini chocolate eggs work well here.

Simple syrup

Also known as sugar syrup, this is an essential ingredient in many cocktails and desserts. You can find pre-made versions, but it’s super-easy to make: simply combine equal quantities of sugar and warm water together and stir until the sugar has dissolved. You can also make this in a pot on a stove over a gentle heat – just make sure the mix doesn’t take on any colour, as this means you have begun to make a caramel. To make honey syrup, replace the sugar with honey – this works with any syrup you like. If you’d like to make an infused syrup, add your additional ingredient (such as elderflower, berries or cinnamon sticks) to the mix on the stove, then leave to infuse before using.