St. Patrick’s Day may have started out as a religious holiday — and remains very much so in Ireland — but in the States, it’s morphed into an extra-festive excuse to celebrate all things Irish. Or, to be real, a reason to celebrate a fun holiday in the middle of March.
And speaking of excuses, a lot of Americans use St. Patty’s as an excuse to get completely housed on green beer and Baby Guinness shots. No judgment, but if you’d rather celebrate hangover-free, it just so happens to be the perfect occasion to incorporate a different touch of green into the festivities if you catch our drift.
St. Patty’s Alcohol Free Mocktails
It’s no secret that St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally the highest-grossing day of the year for U.S. bars, and the third booziest holiday in America (behind Mardi Gras and New Year’s Eve). But if you’re part of the growing group who’s ditching alcohol, there are still plenty of ways to get in on the fun — especially when you’ve got hemp-derived THC gummies on hand. (Who needs 200 calories per Guinness, anyways?) Garnish these alcohol-free St. Patrick’s Day drinks — all appropriately green in both ways — with your favorite Camino gummy for the perfect dose of the St. Patrick’s Day spirit.
The Lucky Leprechaun
For this matcha-lovers mocktail:
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Muddle three slices of cucumber in a cocktail shaker.
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Add two mint sprigs and muddle again.
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Add ice, about 1.5 ounces of green tea or matcha, 1 ounce lime juice, and ¾ ounces simple syrup, and shake well.
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Pour into a chilled cocktail or martini glass, and garnish with cucumber slices, a mint sprig, and a Camino gummy.
Green Basil Lemonade
The perfect pairing for a spring day, basil lemonade is a great go-to for a large batch mocktail, so keep it in mind if you’re hosting the St. Patrick’s Day activities.
To make 6 cups:
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Muddle 1 cup of granulated sugar, a cup of tightly packed basil, and a tablespoon of grated lemon zest for about a minute.
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Add 2 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly.
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Once it starts boiling, take it off the heat and let it cool to room temp, then strain into a pitcher.
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Add 4 cups of cold water and 1 ¼ cups of fresh lemon juice to the pitcher. Add a few drops of green food coloring – a St. Patty’s tradition even more iconic than chasing snakes out of Ireland – ‘til you’re happy with the color.
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Stir well, and serve over ice in a rocks glass, with a lemon slice, basil, and a gummy garnish.
Pocket Full of Green
You can’t get more spring fresh than a Pocket Full of Green:
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Start with about a dozen torn mint leaves, 1.5 ounces of cucumber juice, and 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, muddled in a rocks glass.
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Fill that glass halfway with crushed ice, stir, then add about 1.5 ounces of aloe vera juice and 1.5 ounces of soda water.
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Top it off with more crushed ice, stir again, and garnish with mint, cucumber (a nice long spiral slice to really green it up), and of course, your favorite gummy.
Party With: All of these mocktails pair perfectly with our green-hued gummy, Camino Sparkling Pear ‘Social.’ The fresh flavor and greenish-yellow color make for a festive garnish, while the balanced combo of 2mg THC and 6mg CBD helps the convo flow freely and the good times roll, while being a mellow enough serving that you can bet any alcohol-drinker will tap out far before you do.
…and Sweet Treats
Look, we didn’t make the rules – if it’s a holiday, it’s a sweet treat day. That’s just how it is. For St. Patty’s, we recommend chocolatey, minty delicacies like Guinness brownies (made with alcohol-free Guinness 0), Irish cream chocolate tart, shamrock-shaped chocolate cookies, Irish cream poke cake, or green velvet layer cake. If it’s chocolatey and green, it works!
Just don’t forget the green frosting – it’s crucial. And why not add baking and decorating with friends, family, or your beau to the list of Cali-sober St. Patrick’s Day activities? Treat yourself to a bit of infused chocolate (more on that below) before you fire up the stand mixer, and you’re golden.
Party With: Speaking of infused chocolate, here’s how you’re going to make these chocolate treats – or any other baked good that calls for chocolatey flavor – extra special. Each of Kiva’s hemp-infused Dark Chocolate Bars features 20 servings of 5mg THC, so with a little napkin math, you can melt that decadent, sustainably-sourced cacao into your recipe in place of plain old chocolate until each serving comes out to roughly one dose. To make life easy, note that each square of the bar is one 5mg dose. (Check out our guide to hemp-infused baking for a few more recipe ideas!)
Cali-sober St. Patrick’s Day Activities
Opting for an edible over a pint doesn't mean you can’t enjoy some St. Patrick’s Day fun and games. Here are a few equally green Cali-sober activities:
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A Blarney Brunch. Get started early with a group of your besties and dishes like corned beef hash, fried spuds, stew pie, and Irish soda bread. We recommend the energetic and invigorating high of Camino Sours Tropical Burst 'Energy' gummies to help jump-start your morning.
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Bring the Pub Home. Who needs a pub crawl when you can have a canna-crawl at home? Go all out with a mocktail pop-up, shamrock string lights, and green hats and beads for all. Make sure everyone sports their greenest formal attire, and don’t skimp on the green balloons and clovers for an Insta-friendly photo station. Add St. Patrick’s Day games like a chocolate gold coin hunt with prizes like Camino Gummy Trial Packs.
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Four-leaf Clover Hunt. Pop a mood-elevating, sensory-enhancing Camino Sours Watermelon Spritz ‘Uplifting’ gummy and get some fresh air with a classic four-leaf clover hunt, made even greener than ever. For real, though, this is a great excuse to fill your St. Patrick’s Day with a lush, green nature hike.
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Irish Movie Night. Set that TV backlighting to green and pair your spread of St. Patty’s mocktails and treats with modern-day Irish classics like The Boondock Saints, Leap Year, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Song of the Sea. Or the classic, Leprechaun in the Hood, if that’s more up your alley. Combo with a cozy serving of Camino Wild Berry ‘Chill.’
Party With: If you’re getting social for St. Patrick’s, cater to a group with the vibey variety of a Camino Sweet Spot Sampler Mini Tin 6-Pack, featuring moods from chill to social, and just about everything in-between. It’s the perfect party platter – because as the saying goes, variety is the spice of St. Patrick’s Day!
Dan is a freelance writer, small business owner, and full-time creative living in Dallas, TX. In 15 years of writing, he’s been fortunate to collaborate with companies and publishers like Cannabis and Tech Today, Healthfully, Salon.com, ArtBase, The Seattle Times, USA Today, SF Gate, and many more.
Sources
Britannica - St. Patrick’s Day
Alcohol.org - Booziest Holidays
NIQ - St. Patrick’s Day Is the Highest Grossing Day of the Year for U.S. Bar and Restaurants
ABC Fine Wine & Spirits - Green Cocktails That Aren’t Gross
The Spruce Eats - Basil Lemonade Recipe
Current - Have a Green St. Patrick’s Day: Celebrating Safely With Cannabis
Taste of Home - The Best St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas
The Pioneer Woman - 30 St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas to Make Your Celebration Shine Like Gold
Food Network - 27 St. Patrick’s Day Desserts That Are Festive and Fun
