Specialty shooter concoctions are nothing new. Who can forget those gnarly neon-colored quick-shot drinks with names like The Kamikaze, The Purple-Hooter Shooter, or the one I will euphemistically call “The Extremely Popular Ginger-Haired Girl?” If you drank enough of these in the 1970s and 80s, it’s possible that you have indeed forgotten them.
But these mixed mini-cocktails are making a comeback, and you no longer have to brave the dive bars to enjoy a quick gulp of some pretty heavenly libations. And you don’t have to whisper either. While the shooters from the 70s were purposely given names to make customers blush, today some of the tastier old standbys have been given names that won’t get your mouth washed out with soap.
In fact, at many of the most elegant restaurants, a specialty shooter is seen as a refined ending to a fine dining experience. When assembled by a skilled mixologist, these mini-cocktails come to the table looking almost too beautiful to drink. But do, because they are as delicious as they are attractive, with none of the I-think-I-just-drank-drain-cleaner burn that the original shooters frequently gave.
Before taking a shot at ordering a modern shooter, it’s important to differentiate between a shot and a shooter. A shot is just that — a straight shot of one alcohol, usually served in a 1 to 2-ounce glass, without any added mixer, color, fire, or fanfare. It won’t even come with a chaser unless you specifically request one.
Shooters, on the other hand, consist of several ingredients, are usually quite sweet, and frequently have added coloring to make the shooter showier. They became popular toward the end of the 1960s as part of a revolution against the establishment led by a generation hell-bent on rebelling against just about everything. And while the parents of these idealist young people were sipping their Manhattans and whiskey sours, their rebellious offspring were indulging in more mind-bending experiences than a mere cocktail could provide.
In an effort to lure them back into the bars and away from all those herbs and potions, the alcohol industry began marketing quick buzz drinks with names conservative parents would never say out loud. This tactic worked for a while, but eventually those raunchy, barely digestible, psychedelic colored drinks went the way of roller disco parties and shag carpeting.
Until now. Suddenly, beautifully constructed and frequently overpriced, shooters are making their way back into mainstream restaurants and bars.
But you don’t have to pay big for these small libations. You can make your own.
The key to creating a beautiful multilayered mini-cocktail is an elementary understanding of gravitational weights. Not all liquids weigh the same, so if you want the layers to lay properly, the heavier ones need to go on the bottom. For example, Kahlúa has a gravitational weight of 1.16, while Baileys Irish Cream clocks in at 1.06 and Grand Marnier is slightly less at 1.03.
If you want to make an impressive B-52 shooter, you can’t start with the Grand Marnier. The Kahlúa and Baileys will sink right through your Grand Marnier layer, and your shooter will end up looking more like mud and less like the pretty tricolored concoction you were trying to create.
For almost every liquid layer shooter, start with the heaviest, which if you are making a B-52 would be Kahlúa. Space your liquids according to the number of layers, so if it’s a two layer shooter, pour halfway up. If it’s three, go one third of the way up. Since this drink has three layers, you only want to pour the Kahlúa approximately one-third of the way up the shot glass.
For the second layer, use a teaspoon, concave side down, to pour on top of the first layer. The goal is to pour on top and not into the bottom layer. Pour the next heaviest liquid — for a B-52, this would be the Baileys — slowly over the back of the spoon and on top of the Kahlúa. Pour too quickly and the Baileys will penetrate the Kahlúa, mixing your layers, and you won’t have those pretty B-52 bands of deliciousness you were craving. Repeat until all the layers, from heaviest to lightest, have been added.
Admire your handiwork but don’t sip it slowly. This is still a shooter so it is meant to be shot. Encourage your guests to knock back your masterpiece in one gulp, allowing all those flavors to mix deliciously on their tongues. If you want to serve an impressive shooter that is made before your guests arrive, try making layered Jell-O shots.
Jell-O shots are said to have been made popular in 1956 by singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, who while serving in the military was not allowed to bring alcohol on base. So, for a Christmas party he was hosting for the other soldiers, he and a friend mixed vodka into orange Jell-O and easily snuck these now “food” items past the guards. Whether or not these were indeed the first Jell-O shots ever served is unclear, but it is food for thought.
Unfortunately, these jiggly fruit based shots have the reputation of being something we warn our children about before they set off to college. But like the layered liquid shooter, Jell-O shots have grown up. They are no longer associated with stained sweatpants, ramen noodles, and beer pong. And because they are built by solidifying each layer as it is laid down, there is no possibility of blending colors or corrupting layers during construction. And the results can be spectacular.
As pretty as they are, Jell-O shots are typically served in plastic shot glasses because making Jell-O shots in fancy glass shot glasses is a little like wearing a black cocktail dress and expensive high heels to eat at Waffle House … not that I know anyone who has actually done that.
Most party supply stores sell plastic shot glasses in a variety of colors, but do not make the rookie mistake of actually buying these glasses in a variety of colors. They might look pretty in the store, but remember, you are going to make layered Jell-O shots! Why go to all that trouble if no one can see your layers? Get the clear ones. You are welcome.
Whatever recipe you use, Jell-O shots can be made up to two days before your event and stored in the refrigerator. Do not store them in the freezer. Your pretty cups full of fun will wrinkle, pale, and lose all their vibrancy … and you will end up wishing that you had opted for the colored shot glasses.
Once served, encourage your guests to loosen the Jell-O before they take the shot. This is best done by inserting a finger between the Jell-O and the plastic glass and rotating it all around the rim. These are Jell-O shots — we don’t need to be too formal about this. Once the Jell-O has been loosened, guests should place the cup to their mouths, snap back their heads, and suck out your colorful handiwork, squeezing the plastic cup as they do so. Don’t try to lick out the Jell-O — trust me, no one wants to see that.
A common myth states that Jell-O shots contain less alcohol than a liquid shooter. That actually depends on the ingredients, but no matter what recipe you use, ingest too many of these innocent looking shooters and you will absolutely get drunk. So please remember, there isn’t always room for Jell-O.
If you don’t feel steady enough to make liquid layered shooters and you didn’t have time to make Jell-O shots, you can still impress your guests by serving a bomb shot. These are a little more impressive than a standard boilermaker, which is a simply a shot of alcohol, usually whiskey, served alongside a beer. The beer and the whiskey are drunk separately but in quick succession, which is a bit like drinking a beer but looking for a cocktail buzz.
Drop shots today are more impressive and unquestionably better tasting than the ubiquitous Jägerbombs found at every college bar. A Jägerbomb is a shot of Jägermeister dropped into glass filled with half a can of Red Bull energy drink — a beverage meant simultaneously to horrify your taste buds while confusing your nervous system.
An example of a drop shot with a bit more flare is the Flaming Doctor Pepper, which combines the drama of dropping a shot glass into a mug of beer and the adrenaline rush of purposely lighting a flame over alcohol while surrounded by people who might not be the quickest ones to stop, drop, and roll. The splash zone from the dropped shot is the least of your concerns. Retaining your eyebrows is a tad more worrisome. If you are going to do a flaming drop shot of any kind at home, please have a sober designated drop-shot observer standing by with a fire extinguisher, just in case.
The following are some shooter recipes to amaze, delight, and possibly terrify your friends. So go ahead, take your best shot!
B-52 Shooter
While this creamy mini has really taken off, it wasn’t named after the iconic Stratofortress bomber. Peter Fich, a Canadian bartender, was inventing drinks for the Banff Springs Hotel and his tri-layered shooter quickly became a hotel favorite. Fich named his creation after one of his favorite rock bands, The B-52s, who were also not named after the aircraft but rather the beehive hairdo that was popular in the 1960s. Wherever you choose to serve Fich’s shooter — a love shack, planet Claire, your own home — it is absolutely delicious. And it pairs well with rock lobster.
1 tablespoon Kahlúa
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier Liqueur
Pour the Kahlúa into a shot glass, then position a teaspoon, concave side down over the glass and slowly pour the Bailey’s Irish Cream over the spoon to create the second layer. Slowly pour the Grand Marnier over the spoon to create the last layer.
Encourage your guests — after they have oohed and aahed over your beautifully prepared shooter — to knock it back in one quick gulp. Yum!
Variations: Replace the Irish Cream with Peppermint Schnapps to create a B-57, or replace the Grand Marnier with Amaretto to create a B-54.
Superman Shot
For a little shot of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” try this delicious mini cocktail sporting all of Superman’s iconic colors. And while not pouring the heaviest liqueur first might be kryptonite for all other shooters, this one actually uses the heaviest one, the banana liqueur, second. The banana liqueur bleeds through the cherry layer to create a nifty little yellow Superman belt ring on the bottom of the glass.
½ ounce cherry liqueur
½ ounce banana liqueur
½ ounce UV Blue vodka
Pour the cherry liqueur into shot glass, position a teaspoon, concave side down, over the glass and slowly pour the banana liqueur over the spoon to create the second layer and the yellow ring at the bottom. Slowly pour the UV Blue vodka over the spoon to create the last layer.
This shooter will take you up, up, and away!
Flaming Dr. Pepper Shot
This is an impressive but potentially dangerous beverage, so please do not attempt to make it while inebriated, and do have someone standing by to put out the flames should something go astray. Because alcohol … fire … what could go wrong?
1 cup of beer
1 ounce amaretto
¼ ounce 151-proof rum
Fill a pint glass with beer and a shot glass with the amaretto. Put a teaspoon, concave side down, over the shot glass and slowly float the rum on top of the amaretto. Using a long handled lighter, light the shot, then drop the amaretto — shot glass and all — into the beer. Make sure the flame is out and then slam it down, being careful not to let the shot glass chip your teeth. Tastes almost exactly like a Dr. Pepper but with a whole lot more danger and drama.
Notes: It is important to use a long handled lighter instead of matches or a short lighter to light the rum. For those who really don’t want to mix fire and alcohol, forgo the rum and the flame, drop the amaretto shot glass into the beer and enjoy a beer beverage that isn’t slightly warm and doesn’t require a fire extinguisher.
Creamy Cherry Layered Jell-O Shots
These gorgeous shooters are surprisingly easy to make, but it is important to get black cherry Jell-O for the red layer and regular cherry Jell-O for the pink layer in order to make the slider colors really pop. However, if you don’t want to purchase both a cherry flavored and a vanilla flavored vodka, you can use either one for both layers.
For Pink Layers
1 cup evaporated milk
1 (3-ounce) box cherry Jell-O
1 cup cold vanilla flavored vodka
For Red Layers
1 cup cold water
1 (3-ounce) box black cherry Jell-O
1 cup cold cherry flavored vodka
For Assembly
16 maraschino cherries, stems attached
16 disposable, clear colored, 2 ounce shot glasses
Pour the evaporated milk into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and whisk continually until the milk starts steaming. Remove from heat, add one (3-ounce) box of cherry Jell-O, and whisk until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup cold vanilla flavored vodka, stir, and transfer to a heatproof container. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Pour 1 cup of water into the same saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add one (3-ounce) box of black cherry Jell-O, and whisk until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold cherry flavored vodka, stir, and transfer to a heatproof container, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once both the pink and the red mixtures are room temperature, begin assembly.
Put approximately 1 tablespoon of the pink mixture into each of the 16 disposable shot glasses. Put them all into the freezer until firm, about 10 minutes, then remove. Making sure the red mixture is indeed room temperature, add enough to each shot glass so that it is roughly the same height as your pink layer, then put all the shot glasses back into the freezer until this red layer is firm — about 10 minutes. Remove shot glasses and repeat the process until you have four layers — pink, red, pink, red. For the final pink layer, put a maraschino cherry with the stem facing outward on top of the red layer. Pour the last of the pink mixture into each glass. Refrigerator all the shot glasses for at least an hour and enjoy!