When talking about cocktail shots, it’s important to avoid confusion. The fact is that the real name of drinks is shooters (shooter, from English shoot – “shoot”, zd. – “drink in one gulp”). “Shot” (shot) also means a small portion of pure strong alcohol, such as brandy, vodka or whiskey. However, in everyday use, this difference has faded, now the term “shot” refers not so much to the volume of the drink (historically 30-60 ml), but to its structure (mostly sweet layered cocktails).
Historical information
Today it seems to us that shots have always existed, in fact they appeared less than half a century ago, in the 1970s. We are talking specifically about cocktails – they began to drink strong alcohol from small glasses much earlier.
In those days, the consumption of alcoholic beverages decreased significantly, the invention of “shooters” became a way to mix several seemingly incompatible components, give them original names and thereby draw attention to old brands. The fact is that it was in the 60-70s. in America, the era of hippies began, young people preferred to fall into a state of altered consciousness with the help of drugs, while alcohol against this background looked boring and old-fashioned. To sell alcohol, it was necessary to make it fashionable.
How to cook shots
Shots are both mixed and layered. There are no problems with the first type – all the ingredients are mixed in a shaker and the cocktail is ready. It is much more difficult to make a proper layered shot. The easiest way is to follow specific recipes, but if you want to experiment, it is advisable to follow the basic rules:
- The higher the layer, the lower its density. The basis of the cocktail is the most dense and thick drink – for example, “Lawyer” or “Baileys”.
- It is better for novice bartenders to measure the required doses of ingredients in advance, and not to pour “by eye”.
- The second and subsequent layers are poured with a bar spoon or a knife, trying not to mix drinks.
- To make a layered cocktail even more interesting, you can choose ingredients not only of different colors, but also of different temperatures, for example, add hot coffee.
How to drink
Shots are rarely low-alcohol, usually they are strong cocktails, the main purpose of which is to quickly bring a person into a state of intoxication. These drinks are most often drunk in one sip, and if done incorrectly, you can choke or even cause a vomiting reaction. There are two ways to properly drink shots (the same applies to small portions of hard liquor):
- Wash down. For example, water, juice, soda. So you can quickly get rid of the alcohol taste in your mouth.
- Tilt your head back so that the drink “slips” down your throat more easily.
Popular Shot Cocktail Recipes
B-52 (B-52). Lay successively in layers of 20 ml of coffee liqueur, Baileys and orange liqueur (triple sec). At the end, you can set fire to the top layer or just drink in one gulp.
Hiroshima (Hiroshima). Pour 20 ml layers of sambuca, Baileys and absinthe into a glass, then add a few drops of grenadine – at the bottom of the stack it looks like an atomic mushroom will bloom.
Jellyfish (Jellyfish). Lay in 20 ml layers of light chocolate liqueur (Crème de cacao) and Amaretto, carefully add the same amount or slightly less cream liqueur. Drop a few drops of grenadine and watch the jellyfish move its tentacles!
Brain Tumor (Tumor of the brain). There are many variations of the recipe, consider one of them. Pour 30 ml of peach liqueur into a glass, carefully place 10 ml of Baileys on top, drip a couple of drops of grenadine and / or cherry brandy. The cocktail will become like a reddish brain.
Green Mexican (Green Mexican). This cocktail is mixed in a collins glass: pour 90 ml of tequila, Midori melon liqueur and lime juice in succession, add ice. To make a cocktail shot, replace the melon liqueur with “Pizang Ambon” (De Kuyper Pisang), the proportions of the ingredients will be as follows: 25 ml of liqueur, 10 ml of juice, 25 ml of tequila.
Red dog (Red dog). Pour equal parts of sambuca and light tequila into a glass (about 20-25 ml each), add 5 drops of Tabasco sauce. Drink the resulting spicy cocktail in one gulp or through a straw. You can drop Tabasco not from above, but between the layers, then the “redhead” will disperse more evenly.
Boyarsky (Boyarsky). Russian shot, named, according to legend, in honor of the famous St. Petersburg actor. Pour 25 ml of grenadine and vodka in succession into a glass (the layers should not mix), add a few drops of hot Tabasco sauce, swear “a thousand devils!” and drink in one gulp.
Russian Flag (Flag of Russia). Traditional tricolor: layer 20 ml of grenadine, blue curacao liqueur and vodka. To make the top layer white and not transparent, you can add a little cream to the vodka in advance. Drink in one gulp, experiencing patriotic pride.
Honey (Honey). A rather difficult cocktail to prepare: mix 20 ml of honey and 30 ml of lemon juice, melt the mixture in a steam bath. Pour 25 ml of absinthe into a glass, carefully add the resulting mixture, drink in one gulp.
Kazantip (Kazantip). Place successively 15 ml of grenadine, 7 ml of absinthe, 10 ml of sambuca, 15 ml of cream liqueur and 8 ml of absinthe. Set fire to the top layer, quickly drink a cocktail through a straw.
