Why people are ‘faking’ their St. Patrick’s Day Guinness with espresso martinis

On St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish may say that there’s only one way to really revel: pints and pints of beer, mainly Guinness, and a good excuse to call in sick to work the next day. But what if you’re not a beer fan? No worries, TikTok has figured out a solution: order an espresso martini, pour it into an empty Guinness pint glass, and boom: you’re sorted.

@thehowlinwolf pint of espresso martini anyone? #fyp #glasgow ♬ I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

The trend of pouring espresso martinis into empty pint glasses emerged ahead of the big Irish holiday, as early as Mar. 12., 2025, when the TikTok account for The Howlin’ Wolf Bar (@thehowlinwolf) created a video showing the technique. With 866.4K views, 59.7K likes, and 769 comments, it seemed to tap into the hearts of booze lovers all over.

“When St. Patrick’s Day is coming up but you don’t drink stout,” states the text overlay on the bar’s video, which shows a goth bartender looking around her before pouring two espresso martinis into a pint glass, taking a sip, and smiling with satisfaction.

“Pint of espresso martini anyone?” the post caption of the Glasgow-based bar reads, with the trending audio the quintessential Irish anthem of “I'm Shipping Up To Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys.

“I NEVER EVER would have believed two martini glasses equal a pint,” wrote TikTok user @barnabydarlington in the comments.

“Yup a pint of espresso martini is right up my street,” added TikTok user @quackerzdesign.

Why do people drink Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day?

Perhaps one of Ireland’s most well-known exports, Guinness is typically the beer of choice for many on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not just about its malty-sweet, strong bitter flavor complexion – its strong Irish ties make it the optimal drink on such a culturally-defined day.

“Guinness drinking really is a longstanding tradition in Ireland, as well as the Irish diaspora,” Livia Gershon explained in an article on the subject for JSTOR Daily, and that its association with St. Patrick’s Day may have more to do with commercial advertising than anything.

“Acquiring a taste for the stout meant being part of a community…that insisted on the brand as a symbol of belonging,” the article adds, and that it was even considered part of a healthy diet, with “the company’s old advertising slogan ‘Guinness is good for you’...as a tonic for sick children and nursing mothers.”

Still, a pint of stout can be tough for those who dislike beer in general. The dark coloring and creamy finish, along with the strong coffee and milky flavors of an espresso martini, make for a perfect substitute – especially when disguised in a Guinness pint glass.

Espresso martinis have been around for decades, but new styles of the cocktail have emerged in recent years. Some took the chance to highlight both Espresso Martini Day (Mar. 15) and St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17) by combining elements, like adding Irish whiskey instead of vodka, or Lucky Charms cereal.

Even Ben and Jerry’s ice cream got in on the trend, with their Dublin Mudslide Espresso Martini a la mode, using ice cream to give the cocktail a cool and creamy kick.

Bars around the world tap into the espresso martini Guinness trend

You don’t have to travel to Scotland to grab a pint of coffee-infused martini. The trend swiftly took off, with many bars and pubs sharing their interpretation of the trope.

The Blind Tiger Pub in Charleston, S.C. posted their version on Mar. 16., 2025, and reached over 5.7M views on Instagram in less than 24 hours. 

“When your Guinness glass is a little more caffeinated than usual,” the bar wrote in the caption of their post. “Guinness on the outside, espresso martini on the inside. Shhh…”

“The perfect disguise,” wrote @thepass_ in their caption of a video showing hands pouring two espresso martinis into a Guinness pint glass. The text overlay for the video, which has over 253.7K views, reads, “POV: You want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but you don’t like beer.”

Popular British bar Slug and Lettuce took a Gen Z twist on the trend for their TikTok post, stating, “The girlies on St. Paddy’s Day that don’t like Guinness,” with a young woman pouring one glass of espresso martini into a branded pint glass.

The Tuppenny, a bar in Swindon, U.K., drew out the process of beer-to-cocktail switcheroo with a short play in their TikTok video. 

It shows two friends enjoying time at the bar, toasting two full pints of stout. One takes a sip and enjoys it while the other grimaces at the prospect of ingesting such a drink. When the friend leaves, the non-beer-drinker shakes his head, pours the stout onto the floor, and procures two espresso martinis from the inside of his button-down shirt. 

After pouring them into the empty pint glass, he takes a sip and gives a sigh of relief. His friend joins him, they toast glasses again and sip from them, and the man breaks the fourth wall to indicate to his audience that it’s “their little secret.”

“You don’t have to like Irish stout to have a great St. Patrick’s day,” the caption of the video says, adding that their “Irish Espresso Martini” is available all year round.

The Daily Dot reached out to The Howlin' Wolf Bar via email and the Blind Tiger Pub via Instagram DM, for comment.

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