Raise a Glass the Right Way This March 17th
March 17th has a way of bringing out the festive spirit in everyone, and rightly so. But between the jostling crowds, the green beer, and the pints that seem to vanish the moment they land on the bar, there is something to be said for hosting your own gathering. This year, set the scene at home with a curated cocktail menu built around the one thing everyone wants on St. Patrick's Day: something beautiful and green.
We've put together a three-cocktail "Green with Envy" martini menu that covers every taste. There is the Emerald Isle Melon Martini for the sweet, crowd-pleasing pour. There is the Last Word for the guest who appreciates a Prohibition-era classic with serious depth. And there is the Grasshopper Lucky Mint Martini for anyone who wants a creamy, dessert-style finish to the evening. Together they form a menu that feels intentional, impressive, and genuinely fun to drink.
Cocktail 1: The Emerald Isle Melon Martini
Vibrant. Sweet. Unapologetically green.
If you want maximum visual impact, this is your opening act. The Emerald Isle Melon Martini is the cocktail that earns gasps when you set it on the table. Its electric color comes from Midori, the Japanese melon liqueur that has been turning heads since its splashy American debut.
The Recipe
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vodka or London Dry gin | 2 oz |
| Midori melon liqueur | 1 oz |
| Fresh lemon juice | ½ oz |
| Garnish | Lemon twist or maraschino cherry |
Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass. For the garnish, a lemon twist adds an elegant, aromatic finish; a maraschino cherry leans playful.
The Story Behind the Color
Midori was not always called Midori. The spirit originated in Japan in 1964 under the name Hermes Melon Liqueur, crafted by Suntory from Japanese Yubari King and muskmelon varieties. It was renamed Midori, meaning "green" in Japanese, when it made its American debut in 1978. That debut was anything but quiet: the launch party was held at Studio 54 in New York City, timed to coincide with the cast celebration for Saturday Night Fever. The liqueur's electric color and candy-sweet melon flavor found a natural home in the disco era, and its reputation for bringing fun to any cocktail has never fully faded.
Pro tip: Gin works beautifully here if you want a more botanical, complex character. London Dry gin's herbal notes play well against the sweetness of Midori and the brightness of lemon juice. Vodka keeps it clean and lets the melon flavor lead.
Cocktail 2: The Last Word (The Leprechaun's Library)
Botanical. Complex. Naturally, perfectly green.
If the Emerald Isle Melon Martini is the party starter, the Last Word is the drink for the person in your group who knows their cocktail history. This equal-parts classic requires no artificial coloring to achieve its pale jade hue. The green comes entirely from Chartreuse, and everything about this drink is balanced with an almost mathematical precision.
The Recipe
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gin | ¾ oz |
| Green Chartreuse | ¾ oz |
| Maraschino liqueur | ¾ oz |
| Fresh lime juice | ¾ oz |
| Garnish | Brandied cherry |
Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until very cold. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Finish with a quality brandied cherry.
The equal-parts format is the key to this drink's magic. Each ingredient pulls equal weight: the gin provides a botanical backbone, the Chartreuse adds herbal complexity and sweetness, the maraschino contributes a subtle cherry note, and the lime juice cuts through everything with bright acidity. Nothing dominates. Nothing hides.
The History
The Last Word is one of the few genuinely pre-Prohibition cocktails to survive and thrive into the modern era. Its story begins at the Detroit Athletic Club, where it appears on a dinner menu dated July 1916, making it one of the club's most premium offerings at the time.
Frank Fogarty, a vaudeville performer known by his stage name the "Dublin Minstrel," visited the Detroit Athletic Club in December 1916. He became so taken with the cocktail that he asked for the recipe and brought it back to New York, where it spread to the city's bar scene. Author Ted Saucier later documented the drink in his 1951 cocktail compendium Bottoms Up!, crediting Fogarty with introducing the cocktail to New York.
The drink fell into obscurity after World War II and remained forgotten for decades until Seattle bartender Murray Stenson rediscovered it in a copy of Bottoms Up! around 2003. He added it to his menu and it became a sensation, spreading from Seattle to New York and eventually to bars worldwide.
A note on Chartreuse: Green Chartreuse is produced by the Carthusian monks of France according to a recipe said to contain 130 herbs, plants, and flowers. It is one of the more complex liqueurs in the cocktail world and contributes most of the Last Word's distinctive herbal character. There is no real substitute; if Green Chartreuse is not available, the drink becomes something else entirely.
Cocktail 3: The Lucky Mint Grasshopper Martini
Creamy. Minty. The ultimate dessert cocktail.
The Grasshopper is what you serve last. It is a luxurious, mint-forward after-dinner drink with enough sweetness and creaminess to double as dessert. This is the cocktail that makes people say it tastes like a mint chocolate chip milkshake for grown-ups, and they are not wrong.
The Grasshopper Martini Recipe
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vodka | 1 oz |
| Green crème de menthe | 1 oz |
| White crème de cacao | 1 oz |
| Heavy cream | 1 oz |
| Garnish | Shaved dark chocolate or fresh mint sprig |
Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake hard and long, at least 15 seconds, to build a foamy, well-chilled texture. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a dusting of shaved dark chocolate or a fresh mint sprig.
A note on versions: The Grasshopper has evolved over the decades. The original 1918 Tujague's recipe is three equal parts crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and cream — no base spirit. The Grasshopper Martini, the version that belongs on a martini menu, adds vodka for a spirit backbone that balances the sweetness and makes it drink more like a cocktail than a dessert. The Flying Grasshopper is a third variation that swaps the cream for vodka entirely, making it a leaner, boozier pour.
A Century of Mint and Chocolate
The Grasshopper has one of the more colorful origin stories in classic cocktail history. Philip Guichet, proprietor of Tujague's restaurant in New Orleans' French Quarter, created the drink for a cocktail competition held in New York City in 1918. His minty, creamy creation placed second in the contest. Guichet brought the recipe home to New Orleans, and the Grasshopper has been on the Tujague's menu ever since.
The drink gained its widest popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, when supper clubs across the American South and Midwest embraced it as the quintessential after-dinner treat. Its vivid green hue made it a natural fit for St. Patrick's Day, a connection that has only strengthened over the decades.
Hosting Your Green with Envy Menu
Set Up a Cocktail Station
For a home gathering, consider setting up a dedicated cocktail station rather than making drinks one at a time throughout the evening. Pre-batch the Melon Martini by multiplying the recipe and storing it in a large pitcher in the fridge (without ice; add ice to the shaker when serving). The Last Word and Grasshopper are best made to order, but having all the bottles lined up and a shaker ready makes the process smooth.
Glassware and Presentation
All three drinks work in a standard martini glass, and using a consistent glass style across your menu gives the spread a cohesive, polished look. Chill your glasses in the freezer for at least ten minutes before serving. A cold glass keeps the drink colder longer and creates a frosted look that elevates the visual presentation significantly.
Order of Service
Consider serving the three cocktails in the order presented here: the Melon Martini first as a sweet, crowd-friendly welcome drink; the Last Word in the middle as the evening's more complex, conversational cocktail; and the Grasshopper last as a creamy, dessert-style close. This arc moves from light and fruity to botanical and spirit-forward to rich and sweet, which mirrors the natural rhythm of a well-planned evening.
A Quick History Comparison
| Cocktail | Origin | Year | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Isle Melon Martini | House creation | — | Sweet, fruity |
| Last Word | Detroit Athletic Club | 1916 | Equal-parts classic |
| Grasshopper | Tujague's, New Orleans | 1918 | Creamy, dessert |
The Garnish That Does the Work
On St. Patrick's Day, garnishes matter more than usual. A bright green herb, a twist of citrus, or a dusting of dark chocolate all signal that care went into the drink. For the Melon Martini, a long lemon twist curled around the rim is clean and elegant. For the Last Word, a quality brandied cherry sunk to the bottom of the coupe gives a jewel-like finish. For the Grasshopper, a few shavings of dark chocolate contrast beautifully with the pale green of the drink and add a faint bittersweet aroma that primes the palate for the first sip.
Stocking the Bar
To make all three cocktails in this menu, you will need:
- Spirits: Vodka or London Dry gin
- Liqueurs: Midori melon liqueur, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur (such as Luxardo), green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao
- Fresh produce: Lemons, limes
- Dairy: Heavy cream or half-and-half
- Garnishes: Brandied cherries, dark chocolate for shaving, fresh mint
Most of these bottles have long shelf lives and broad utility beyond this menu. Chartreuse appears in a range of classic cocktails. Maraschino liqueur is a cornerstone of the Aviation and several other classics. Green crème de menthe shows up in Stingers and other vintage recipes. Buying for this menu is an investment in a more complete home bar.
Make It a Night to Remember
St. Patrick's Day is one of those occasions that benefits from a little extra intention. Swapping the standard green beer for a considered cocktail menu does not require professional training or a fully stocked bar. It requires three good recipes, quality ingredients, and the small effort of chilling a glass.
Whether you pour the sweet and electric Emerald Isle Melon Martini, the botanically layered Last Word, or the luxuriously creamy Grasshopper, you are building a moment worth remembering. That is the whole point.
Explore more cocktail recipes and hosting ideas at Jigger & Joy.