The Irish Trash Can is a power house of a cocktail! With six different types of alcohol all topped off with a Red Bull, this drink is not for the faint of heart.

We are huge fans of fun cocktail recipes and shots just like this Irish Trash Can! If you are looking for more drink recipes for St. Paddy’s Day, try this adorable Baby Yoda Cocktail, it’s cute and it’s green. Or try this Grasshopper Shot, the mint-chocolate combination is delicious.

Two glasses of Irish trash can cocktails with a green towel.

I love the unique name of this drink, I mean, come on does it get much cooler than this? A good name always makes it more fun to make and drink.

If you are looking for a strong cocktail you have come to the right place. This one is loaded up on a lot of different alcohols, I mean half a dozen different liquors is kind of a lot.

While you are likely to find this drink at a bar or college parties in a punch bowl served like jungle juice, it is easy to make in the comfort of your own home. So, why go out when you could stay in!

What is an Irish Trash Can Cocktail?

This is a potent cocktail that is made with a bunch of different types of alcohol. Plus, you get a caffeine boost from the energy drink.

If you are wondering why in the heck this drink is called an Irish trash can, I have two reasons for you.

One, there are all kinds of alcohols dumped in there and then you leave the energy drink can upside down sticking out the top (very trash can-esque). The second reason is that once you add the yellow Red Bull energy drink on top of the Blue curaçao, the drink turns a GREEN hue.

An upside down can of Red Bull in a glass of Irish trash can. Bottle of alcohol, a Red Bull, and jigger in the back ground.

What does it taste like?

This drink is a little dangerous. Even though there are a lot of alcohol in it, you wouldn’t be able to tell how strong it is because it tastes really good. It is sweet, but not overly sweet, and it is fruity.

What’s in an Irish Trash Can?

Leprechauns?? Lol, I kid, I kid.

So truthfully, there is a lot going on with this drink. It’s got three of the heavy hitting liquors; rum, gin, and vodka. But, then there are some fruity liqueurs that help give it some sweet flavor and balance out all that hard alcohol.

And then, there is the energy drink that may or may not give you a boost of energy. So, make sure to take precautions. If you drink it late at night, you may not be able to sleep.

Where does the Irish Trash Can Originate?

If you are wondering if this drink originated in Ireland, it did not.

While it may sound like the perfect cocktail to drink on St Patrick’s Day just because it has “Irish” in the title, it actually is not Irish at all. It doesn’t even contain any alcohols from Ireland.

It only has “Irish” in the name because the drink turns a bright green color when everything mixes together.

Two upside down cans of Red Bull in a glass of Irish trash can. Bottle of alcohol, a Red Bull, and jigger in the back ground.

What kind of Rum to Use?

Since there are many different types and flavors of rum out there, I want to be sure y’all are using the right one. There is gold rum, pale rum, dark rum, black rum, there is even navy rum, yes. You don’t want any of those or flavored rum. The one you want is clear rum which is also known as white rum. It has a mild flavor and that is exactly what we want.

Tools Needed

A tall glass. You can use a collins glass, a large mason jar, or just a big glass.
A jigger. To measure out the shots. You could also use a shot glass if that is what you have. A small shot glass is around 30 ml or 1 ounce.

Irish Trash Can Ingredients

Here is everything you need to make this simple recipe. See the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for full amounts.

Blue Curacao: An orange flavored liqueur that is dyed blue. This is a must have ingredient to get the color you are trying to achieve.
Rum: You just want plain rum without any color or flavors. Just use white rum.
Gin: Pick a gin that doesn’t have
Vodka: You want to use plain vodka, not flavored vodka or fruit vodka.
Triple Sec: If you don’t have this orange flavored liqueur, you can substitute it with a second shot of blue curaçao.
Peach Schnapps: This may also be known as peach pucker, it’s a peach flavored liqueur.
Energy Drink: You will need a full can of Red Bull or similar energy drink that is yellow in color.
Ice: You will need a scoop of ice cubes for each glass.

All of the alcohols needed to make the Irish Trash Can

How to Make Irish Trash Can Recipe

This is basically how to make this strong cocktail. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on how to make it.

Measure out blue curaçao and pour it into the bottom of the glass.
Fill with desired amount of ice cubes.
Next, pour in the gin, rum, vodka, peach schnapps, and triple sec.
Pour in the Red Bull and keep the can upside down in the glass.

Step by step of how to make the Irish trash can.

Irish Trash Can vs. Long Island Iced Tea

Both the trash can and Long Island have very similar ingredients. In fact, they both have vodka, rum, gin and triple sec. But, one huge difference is that there is also tequila added to a Long Island Iced Tea (as if it wasn’t potent enough already with those four other strong alcohols). Then you add in some simple syrup added, a little fresh lemon juice, and Coca Cola is what actually makes it look like tea.

Irish Trash Can vs. AMF

An AMF (also known as Adios Mother F*@%er) also has a lot of similarities to the trash can. They both have vodka, rum, gin and blue curaçao. But, like the Long Island ice tea, it also has tequila added. This one has sweet and sour mix and lemon lime soda instead of coke.

Irish Trash Can vs. Irish Car Bomb

These two drinks are VERY different from each other. While the Irish Car Bomb wasn’t actually created in Ireland at least it contains some Irish alcohol. If you have never had a car bomb I’ll explain what it is. You take a shot glass and add a layer of Irish whiskey over Baileys Irish Cream. You then drop that shot glass into a glass partially filled with a dark stout like Guinness.

Recipe Variations & Tips

Irish trash can with Jameson. Make it “more Irish” by replacing either the ounce of gin, vodka, or rum with Jameson Irish Whiskey.
Irish trash can with Monster. Use a different flavored energy drink like Monster, if it is yellow then the resulting drink will be that cool green color. If you don’t care about the color of this drink, you could try the other flavors of Red Bull in it instead.
Use double the curaçao. Blue curaçao and triple sec are very similar, they are both orange liqueurs. But, blue curaçao is colored blue (or orange colored in some cases). You don’t have to add triple sec if you don’t have it, you could just use a double shot or double the amount of blue curaçao.
Add more peach schnapps. Make it a little sweeter by adding more peach schnapps.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an Irish trash can cost? If you go to a bar these drinks can be quite expensive, probably around $8-10 for one drink. But, the good thing is that it is strong so you won’t need a lot of them.

How many calories in an Irish trash can? This drink is pretty high in calories at 576 per glass. But, this is if you use a full calorie Red Bull. If you use the low calorie Red Bull then the drink will only be about 400 calories.

Do I need a cocktail shaker to make this drink? Nope, no shaker is required for this one. You just pour each shot in one at a time.

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