Saint Patrick's Day Layered Drink Recipe

I come from a home where holidays are a BIG deal! An, I can't find  a free patch of carpet or wall for all of the Christmas decorations, home. As a child, this habit of my mother's was completely magical, and I still love it today. Now, I have my own little family, and part of our philosophy is: "never miss an opportunity to party." As a result, I am always planning ahead to make a holiday noteworthy so that we also have the magic by the time Henry is old enough to notice.

Happy Pi day, by the way! I'm off to the kitchen to make pie as soon as this is posted!

This year we are expecting dinner guests on Saint Patrick's day, and so I wanted to offer something something tasty and fun to look at. I decided on a green layered drink, (you know, like the cool red, white, and blue ones everyone makes for Independence Day), but couldn't find a recipe anywhere! So, I came up with one myself, and here is how I did it:

You will need:
Lemon lime soda
Green sparkling water (I used kiwi-strawberry sparkling ice)
Pineapple juice
Ice
Green food coloring (I used wilton's brand gel food coloring)
Green straws

1. Refrigerate all three beverages at least one day in advance.
2. Take a cup of pineapple juice and dye it green, make it as dark as you want. Sadly, there aren't too many green drinks without vegetables in them, and that is not what I was looking for! I love Wilton brand gel dyes because they don't thin out what they are coloring, and a little goes a long way. I bought an eight pack at Michael's with a 40% off coupon making it a great value!
3. Start with which ever drink is highest in sugar (for me that was the pineapple juice). Pour it until the glass is about a third full.
4. Now fill the glass with ice, and add the straw--wedge it between a few cubes.
5. Carefully pour the drink second highest in sugar next (soda), make sure to pour it over an ice cube. This technique keeps the layers from mixing.
6. Now pour in the last drink (sparkling water) again making sure to pour it over an ice cube.
7. Enjoy your festive beverage! The three distinct layers have a very cool effect. You can drink it in layers, or use your straw to mix it together, making a nice green.

The flavors mesh well together, creating a sweet, yet zippy drink!
Have a happy Saint Patty's day!


By sure to check out my  my mommy-brain themed guest post if you missed it last week!