Troy Linehan - Creative.Marketing.Entertainment

Troy’s Cocktail Class - 20/07/2011

Hey there friends!

I know…  I’m late this week.  To be honest, I was far too busy being excited about CM Punk winning the WWE title at last week’s PPV (seriously).  Anyways, that’s enough ‘straight edge’ for now, time to talk cocktails.  More specifically - Shots!  I only decided to take a one week break from cocktails due to a conversation about drinking a shed load of shooters with my mate Rich.  Shooters served at bars or at parties are a fun element and can be as complex as a cocktail.

The B52 Shooter

Like I was saying, shooters can be as complex as cocktails and in some respects can dazzle a little more.  They are often small but can be packed full of exciting flavors that are often very surprising to the consumer…  Shots that can taste like Oreo Cookies or famous candies??…  Yep!  Shooters deliver the goods.  Today we’re going to go over a CLASSIC Shooter that is also layered, this means that it is carfully built up in a deconstructed food type manner inside the shot glass.  It also looks AWESOME when done correctly.  I do my layering by using the back of a bar spoon and slowly pouring the liquor over it.  For a full break-down of how to layer shots check out this guide that has the many different ways you could do it - Layering Shots  

The B52 is a classic shooter and served in most bars that create shooters as a standard.

Here’s how to make it - 

Ingredients 

20ml - Kahlua (coffee liquor)

20ml - Baileys Irish Cream

20ml - Grand Marnier

You will also need a Pousse Glass to serve…  Basically, a tall shot glass (see image)

The ‘How To’

This is where you put your teachings in the layering section to good use.  For this, all you need is a steady hand.

You will need to layer the shot in the order that they are listed.  First and last are the easy parts, but the middle (Baileys) will be the tricky one.

Pour the Kahlua in to the glass

GENTLY layer the Baileys over the Kahlua.  If you are using the back of a bar spoon, be sure to have the spoon touching the inside of the glass.  You need the Baileys to run down the inside of the glass SLOWLY.  If done too fast or dropped in, you layers will mix (we don’t want this)

Finally, pour/layer the Grand Marnier to the top.

**Important**  Be sure to allow a few seconds for the layers to settle before serving.

There is no garnish for this shooter.  But I do know a few people who like to rim the glass with Cinnamon before the the making of the drink.  Again, experiment.  This one will take some practice to get the layering correct, but once you understamd the teqnique, you’ll be creating layered shots like a pro.

See you next week!

Cheers!

Troy Linehan

Twitter - @Troylinehan