Shot Clock: 10 Iconic Shots Worth Taking

The Baby Guinness replicates the visual effect of a pint of Guinness in miniature: a shot glass with Kahlua coffee liqueur at the bottom, a careful float of Baileys on top, producing the dark beer body and cream head in 45ml. It is perhaps the most visually satisfying shot in existence and tastes significantly better than you expect — the coffee and cream combination is genuinely pleasant. Ingredients: Kahlua (body), Baileys Irish cream (float).

The Tequila Slammer is the shot that started the modern tequila revival: tequila and sparkling wine or soda, covered with a hand, slammed on the bar to create a carbonated froth, then drunk immediately before the fizz subsides. The ceremony is the point — the act of slamming, the collective count, the shared consumption. It turned tequila from a spirits-shelf curiosity into the most popular spirit in the world. Ingredients: Tequila, Sparkling wine.

The Slippery Nipple — sambuca and Baileys Irish cream — is the most unabashedly named drink on this list and, unusually for a novelty shot, one that actually tastes good. The sambuca's anise flavour contrasts with the cream liqueur's sweetness in a way that works, and the layering (sambuca beneath the Baileys) produces a visual effect that matches the name's suggestive promise. A bar menu staple for four decades. Ingredients: Sambuca, Baileys Irish cream.

Alabama Slammer: Southern Comfort, sloe gin, amaretto, and orange juice — a combination that manages to be fruity, sweet, and approachable while still delivering a credible alcoholic punch. Named for the state whose university teams are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, it is a tailgate party staple in the American South and a reliable crowd-pleaser anywhere warm weather and outdoor gatherings coincide. Ingredients: Southern Comfort, Sloe gin, Amaretto, Orange juice.

Jello shots are the intersection of cocktail culture and children's party food — gelatin set with vodka (or any compatible spirit) and served in small cups. The gelatin delays the alcohol's absorption, which means guests underestimate how much they have consumed until it is too late. This is both the jello shot's appeal and its danger. Flavour options are limited only by available gelatin colours; lime and lemon are the most reliable. Ingredients: Jello, Vodka, Boiling water.

The Lemon Shot is simplicity itself: lemon juice, sugar, and vodka, shaken and served in a shot glass with a sugared rim. It is the citrus shot in its purest form — fresh, tart, and clean, a palate-cleansing drink that prepares you for whatever comes next. The commercial version, made with bottled lemon juice, is a poor substitute; the real thing, made with freshly squeezed lemons and superfine sugar, is a different experience. Ingredients: Lemon juice, Sugar, Vodka.

The Brave Bull Shooter is the Mexican take on the B-52 format: tequila and Kahlua layered or combined, producing a drink that is simultaneously earthy, sweet, and fiery. The tequila's agave character sits interestingly against the coffee liqueur's sweetness — more complex than either ingredient suggests individually. A straightforward drink that rewards good-quality tequila. Ingredients: Tequila, Kahlua.

The Royal Flush — Crown Royal Canadian whisky, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice — is named with poker aspirations that the drink largely delivers on: it is smooth, fruity, and more complex than its three-ingredient formula suggests. The Canadian whisky's soft character allows the peach schnapps and cranberry to contribute flavour rather than being overwhelmed, and the result is a shot that even non-whiskey drinkers will enjoy. Ingredients: Crown Royal, Peach schnapps, Cranberry juice.

The Tequila Surprise is a party-bar staple in which a measure of tequila is taken alongside a slice of lime (or lemon) and a pinch of salt — the salt, tequila, lime sequence familiar from every tequila-focused establishment in the world. The "surprise" element varies by establishment, sometimes involving the bar staff performing a brief ceremony or the drinker committing to a dare. The base formula is classic and reliable. Ingredients: Tequila, Grenadine, Orange juice.

The Baby Guinness replicates the visual effect of a pint of Guinness in miniature: a shot glass with Kahlua coffee liqueur at the bottom, a careful float of Baileys on top, producing the dark beer body and cream head in 45ml. It is perhaps the most visually satisfying shot in existence and tastes significantly better than you expect — the coffee and cream combination is genuinely pleasant. Ingredients: Kahlua (body), Baileys Irish cream (float).

The Tequila Slammer is the shot that started the modern tequila revival: tequila and sparkling wine or soda, covered with a hand, slammed on the bar to create a carbonated froth, then drunk immediately before the fizz subsides. The ceremony is the point — the act of slamming, the collective count, the shared consumption. It turned tequila from a spirits-shelf curiosity into the most popular spirit in the world. Ingredients: Tequila, Sparkling wine.

The Slippery Nipple — sambuca and Baileys Irish cream — is the most unabashedly named drink on this list and, unusually for a novelty shot, one that actually tastes good. The sambuca's anise flavour contrasts with the cream liqueur's sweetness in a way that works, and the layering (sambuca beneath the Baileys) produces a visual effect that matches the name's suggestive promise. A bar menu staple for four decades. Ingredients: Sambuca, Baileys Irish cream.

Alabama Slammer: Southern Comfort, sloe gin, amaretto, and orange juice — a combination that manages to be fruity, sweet, and approachable while still delivering a credible alcoholic punch. Named for the state whose university teams are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, it is a tailgate party staple in the American South and a reliable crowd-pleaser anywhere warm weather and outdoor gatherings coincide. Ingredients: Southern Comfort, Sloe gin, Amaretto, Orange juice.

Jello shots are the intersection of cocktail culture and children's party food — gelatin set with vodka (or any compatible spirit) and served in small cups. The gelatin delays the alcohol's absorption, which means guests underestimate how much they have consumed until it is too late. This is both the jello shot's appeal and its danger. Flavour options are limited only by available gelatin colours; lime and lemon are the most reliable. Ingredients: Jello, Vodka, Boiling water.

The Lemon Shot is simplicity itself: lemon juice, sugar, and vodka, shaken and served in a shot glass with a sugared rim. It is the citrus shot in its purest form — fresh, tart, and clean, a palate-cleansing drink that prepares you for whatever comes next. The commercial version, made with bottled lemon juice, is a poor substitute; the real thing, made with freshly squeezed lemons and superfine sugar, is a different experience. Ingredients: Lemon juice, Sugar, Vodka.

The Brave Bull Shooter is the Mexican take on the B-52 format: tequila and Kahlua layered or combined, producing a drink that is simultaneously earthy, sweet, and fiery. The tequila's agave character sits interestingly against the coffee liqueur's sweetness — more complex than either ingredient suggests individually. A straightforward drink that rewards good-quality tequila. Ingredients: Tequila, Kahlua.

The Royal Flush — Crown Royal Canadian whisky, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice — is named with poker aspirations that the drink largely delivers on: it is smooth, fruity, and more complex than its three-ingredient formula suggests. The Canadian whisky's soft character allows the peach schnapps and cranberry to contribute flavour rather than being overwhelmed, and the result is a shot that even non-whiskey drinkers will enjoy. Ingredients: Crown Royal, Peach schnapps, Cranberry juice.

The Tequila Surprise is a party-bar staple in which a measure of tequila is taken alongside a slice of lime (or lemon) and a pinch of salt — the salt, tequila, lime sequence familiar from every tequila-focused establishment in the world. The "surprise" element varies by establishment, sometimes involving the bar staff performing a brief ceremony or the drinker committing to a dare. The base formula is classic and reliable. Ingredients: Tequila, Grenadine, Orange juice.