The Worst Applebee's Cocktail Is Thankfully Not Around All Year Long

Applebee's is known to sling some tasty cocktails. When specials have discounted drinks delivered to your table, you can imbibe contentedly. From Passion Fruit Mezcal Ritas to Blue Hawaiian Long Island Ice Teas, your seating area can be filled with an amalgamation of colors and flavors. Unfortunately, one of the drinks listed on the menu is better left behind the bar — unless you have an affinity for colorful, crunchy garnishes. 

A bright textural addition adorns the rim of the Tipsy Leprechaun, a green cocktail that only appears on Applebee's menus around the St. Patrick's Day holiday. Though the presentation communicates revelry, this relative of a Long Island iced tea doesn't quite pack the kind of wallop we were expecting. Made with Jameson Irish Whiskey, lemon-lime soda, melon liqueur, and blue curaçao, the cocktail isn't necessarily poor, but the Tipsy Leprechaun lacks a memorable punch on the palate — that is, after you've licked off the coarse sprinkles so you can take your first sip. 

Admittedly, the colorful contrast between the Tipsy Leprechaun's yellow sugar crystals stuck to the rim of the glass and the icy green drink dumped inside make for a fun addition to the social feeds, but seeing this drink appear only for a limited time each year is fine by us. The melon-tasting concoctions first landed on menus in 2022, and it has steadfastly reappeared each year just in time for the lucky holiday. The Tipsy Leprechaun cocktail is presented in what Applebee's calls a mucho glass, an apt name for the type of goblet that serves up plenty to swallow.

In addition to the Tipsy Leprechaun, most recently priced at $6 per order, Applebee's also begins to concoct Rainbow Lemonades garnished with rainbow-colored candy strips; Blue Moon Belgian White poured into Brewtus glasses; and Golden Goose cocktails made with Grey Goose Vodka, triple sec, mango, and lemon sour crowned with the same gold sugar rim that appears on the Tipsy Leprechaun — all in time for St. Patrick's Day mayhem.