4 great themed drinks for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday associated with drinking, and you can mix up some exciting cocktails to celebrate the occasion.

While most people tend to drink a stout beer or Irish cream to celebrate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, here are four much more tantalizing drinks.

People drink Irish car bombs all year, but they're a particularly excellent cocktail to enjoy on special occasions.

• To make an Irish car bomb, mix Irish cream, Irish whiskey and a glass of stout.
• Pour a shot glass full of whiskey, and top it off with Irish cream.
• Drop the shot into the glass of stout and drink the whole thing. This drink is a fun tradition because it involves an activity as well as a drink.

The mint julep is a traditional Southern drink made of whiskey. However, you can make your own St. Patrick's Day version by incorporating crème de menthe.

• Mix your preferred whiskey with crème de menthe, half and half.
• Stir well with a spoon, then pour over ice.
• The Irish julep is a drink that goes down easily, and the crème de menthe makes it a perfect Irish green.

This drink might not be bright green, but it's certainly Irish. It's also a good drink for the morning if you're going to start your celebrations early, or at night if you're going to be ending late.

• Mix Irish whiskey with brown sugar, water, hot coffee and cream and let it cool until drinkable.
• If you want to enjoy an Irish coffee late at night before going to sleep, consider using decaffeinated coffee.

Wine lovers who don't want to imbibe hard liquor or beer on the holiday are in luck. Green sangria is an excellent drink choice for St. Patrick's Day, and it's easy to make.

• Choose a bottle of light white wine, like pinot grigio, then mix it with melon liqueur.
• To make the drink even more festive, add slices of apple, cucumbers, limes or mint—anything green and delicious.
• This drink also tastes great served with sparkling water.