Shamrock Shake Mocktail
/
This non-alcoholic cocktail started out as an attempt to make a cocktail called a Celtic Sour. A blend of lime, whiskey and creme de menthe sounds alright when it’s a full proof cocktail, but you’ll soon discover that this combination doesn’t work at all as a zero proof mocktail. Instead, we’ve whipped up a frothy, grown-up Shamrock Shake mocktail that integrates all the things you love about St. Patrick’s Day flavours without losing the taste of the non-alcoholic whiskey.
Non-alcoholic Creme de Menthe
Traditionally, a creme de menthe is a minty cream based liqueur that is either white or green in colour. Although you could use a plain mint dessert syrup as a non-alcoholic replacement, it’s not quite the same thing. Torani is a brand of syrups with dozens of flavours and they make a decent Creme de Menthe syrup that is green, minty and a perfect level of sweetness for a non-alcoholic mix.
Non-alcoholic whiskey
Since it’s traditional to drink whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day, it makes sense to add this n/a spirit to the recipe for a little bit of elevated fun. In this recipe, we’ve used HP Juniper Single Malt from Montreal, as it has the cleanest taste profile and won’t be offensive when mixed with mint. Other more spice-forward n/a whiskeys are great in other flavours and types of mocktails, but they don’t mix well with the mint and dairy combo. The other option for a non-alcoholic spirit in this specific recipe would be Free Spirits Spirit of Bourbon as it also has a fairly clean flavour.
Why half and half cream?
A full fat cream makes this drink too heavy and a little bit too much like a milkshake. Half and half cream is usually the best option to add some creaminess to a cocktail, without it thickening too much. Cream is also naturally sweet, and since the creme de menthe is a syrup, we want to reduce the sweetness as much as possible.
Shamrock Shake Mocktail Ingredients
- 2.5 oz non-alcoholic single malt whiskey (HP Juniper or Free Spirits Bourbon)
- 3/4 oz half and half cream
- 1/4 oz Torani creme de menthe syrup
Preparing a chilled Shamrock Shake mocktail
Most cocktails are either shaken with ice, or stirred with ice to chill. In this case, we need to get a really good froth and as we’ve talked about before, ice can be the enemy of brilliant mocktails. The trick we’re using to chill and froth is in two steps.
First we’re adding the ingredients to a mixing glass and whipping them together with a hand frother to get some nice air bubbles into the cocktail.
2. Once the mixture is nice and frothy, we’re pouring it into a coupe glass with crushed ice to chill and give a bit of a frozen drink texture.
What you’ll end up with is a nice, chilled minty mocktail that will give you all the shamrock shake vibes you’re looking for on March 17. Slainte!
Shamrock Shake Mocktail
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz non-alcoholic single malt whiskey (HP Juniper or Free Spirits Bourbon)
- 3/4 oz half and half cream
- 1/4 oz Torani creme de menthe syrup
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing jar and froth with a hand frother.
- Pour into a chilled coupe glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a mint chocolate patty.
