Shooters Page

"Down the Hatch!" Another B-52 bites the dust! "Bottoms up!" Anyone for a Sex on the Beach? "Bonzai!" It's a Kamikaze! Just what is going on here? Welcome to the wacky world of shooters--the hottest craze to hit the bar scene in years.

Gone are the days when a shot was 2 ounces of straight whiskey knocked back in a single swallow. (Remember the saloon scenes in those dusty old Westerns?) Shooters, slammers, and tooters, tagged with usually fanciful names, are concocted with virtually any spirit and mixer handy in a well-stocked bar.

The raging popularity of shooters is attributable partly to the fact that many are fairly low in alcohol content, appealing to the lighter tastes of today's young adults. Frequently made with several juices, as well as lower-proof liqueurs, the small size of the shooter limits the amount of spirit contained in a single drink. Some, like the Rattlesnake, are skillfully layered works of art, similar to a pousse cafe. Others, like the Bloody Caesar, incorporate surprising ingredients such as clams or oysters.

Mostly, however, shooters are fun. As colorful and creative as their sometimes bizarre names, shooters not only taste good, but have become integral to unique and entertaining promotions in bars around the country, many of which have developed signature drinks and themed libations for special occasions. These are often made up in large batches, rather than by individual servings.

Another appealing feature of this latest drink sensation is the often innovative glassware in which they're served, such as shot glasses ranging in shape from cowboy boots to animals, like bears and hogs. There are even shot glasses that can be worn on a string like a necklace. Perhaps the most original development in this phenomenon, however, is the "tooter" a test tube shaped glass. Racked just like the laboratory test tubes you remember from chemistry class, tooters filled with colorful concoctions (sometimes complete with mini garnishes) make appetite-appealing displays. There are special server trays, too, including holsters resembling old Western gun belts, where the tooter tubes are secured in small loops not unlike those that held extra bullets (a creative approach no doubt inspired by the "shooter" name).

Of course, the granddaddy of shooters--a lick of salt, washed down with a shot of straight tequila, followed by a suck on a wedge of lime and the obligatory shudder--is not only still around and kicking energetically, but has inspired similar drinks like the Lemon Drop and the Cordless Screwdriver.

Following, you'll find recipes for all the drinks already mentioned, plus a multitude of others. Remember, though, that one of the most fun things about shooters is that their composition is limitedd only by your own creativity. So go ahead, experiment--continue below and have a ball--a Melonball that is!

Affair

Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Alabama Slammer

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass. Add lemon juice.

Angel's Delight

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Angel's Kiss

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Angel's Tip

Float cream and insert toothpick in cherry and put on top. Use cordial glass.

Angel's Wing

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

B-52

In shot glass, pour carefully, in order given, so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Banana Slip

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Between-the-Sheets

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Bloody Caesar

Put the clam in the bottom of a shot glass. Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and horseradish. Add vodka and tomato juice. Sprinkle with celery salt and garnish with a small lime wedge.

Blue Marlin

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Bonzai Pipeline

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Buzzard's Breath

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

C.C. Kazi

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Capri

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Charlie Chaplin

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Cordless Screwdriver

Chill vodka and strain into shot glass. Dip orange wedge in sugar. To drink, shoot the vodka and immediately take a draw on the orange.

Cosmos

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Fifth Avenue

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Flying Grasshopper

Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Fourth of July Tooter

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial or shot glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Foxy Lady

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Galactic Ale

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass. Makes 2 servings.

Green Demon

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

International Incident

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Irish Charlie

Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Irish Flag

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Johnny on the Beach

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass. Makes 2 servings.

Kamikaze

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Lemon Drop

Chill vodka and strain into shot glass. Dip lemon wedge in sugar. To drink, shoot the vodka and immediately draw on the lemon.

Melon Ball

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Mocha Mint

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Monkey Shine Shooter

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Nutty Professor

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Oh My Gosh

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Parisian Blonde

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Peach Bunny

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Peach Tart

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Peppermint Pattie

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Pigskin Shot

Shake with ice and strain into chilled shot glass.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Purple Hooter

Shake with ice and strain into chilled shot glass.

Rattlesnake

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial or shot glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Rocky Mountain

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Sambuca Slide

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Scooter

Combine in blender or shake well with cracked ice and strain into cordial glass.

Sex on the Beach

Stir with ice and strain into cordial or shot glass. Top with cranberry juice.

Shavetail

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Silver Spider

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Sour Apple

Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.

Stalactite

Pour sambuca into cordial glass. Float Irish cream on top of sambuca. Carefully pour black raspberry liqueur, drop by drop, as top layer. The raspberry liqueur will pull the Irish cream through the sambuca and will settle on the bottom.

Stars and Stripes

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Terminator

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

To the Moon

Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.

Traffic Light

Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.

Woo Woo

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.

Last modified: Wed Apr 20 1995