Shot Cocktails
Explore 70 Shot cocktail recipes.
Shots sit at the opposite end of the cocktail spectrum from the slow stirred Negroni — they're built to be drunk in one go, not sipped. The B52 is the working anchor: Kahlúa, Baileys and Grand Marnier layered in a 30 to 45ml glass, designed to be tipped back so all three layers hit at once. Beyond that, you'll find drinks that lean sweeter (lemon-drop shots, Jägerbombs), drinks that lean savoury (pickleback, Bloody Mary shot), and a small set of layered theatrical builds that get poured tableside.
What ties this list together is form rather than flavour — small glass, one mouthful, finished. They have a different job from the cocktails on most of this site. Shots don't pretend to be a slow drink.
They're built for a moment — a toast, a punctuation mark, the end of a meal, the start of a night. Most are mixed in a shaker over ice and strained quickly so they don't dilute, or they're built directly in the shot glass and served straight. Most reward better ingredients than the cheap-spirit assumption would suggest.
Most are best chilled hard before serving. If you're putting them out for a group, keep the glassware in the freezer for half an hour first; warm shot glasses make every shot taste rougher than it needs to.
Our top Shot cocktail
Baby Guinness
Liqueur de café, Bailey's
More top Shot cocktails
43 Mini Beer
Liqueur de vanille, Cream
Abortion
Vodka, Grenadine
Ice Bear
Sambuca, Cape Velvet
GREEN MEXICAN
Tequila blanco, Pisang Ambon, Lemon juice
Licorice Whip
Jagermeister, Bailey's
G4
Rhum à la menthe poivrée, Schnapps à la cannelle, Sambuca, Jagermeister
Four Horsemen
Whiskey, Tequila blanco, Whiskey, Whiskey
Jammy Donut
Vodka, Liqueur de framboise, Cream, Sucre
Jam
Whiskey, Amaretto
Pitbull On Crack
Bourbon, Rhum overproof, Vodka, Jagermeister, Citron vert
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Vodka à la vanille, Jus d'ananas, Grenadine
Jam Roly Poly
Advocaat, Liqueur de framboise
43 Mini Beer
Liqueur de vanille, Cream
Abortion
Vodka, Grenadine
Ice Bear
Sambuca, Cape Velvet
GREEN MEXICAN
Tequila blanco, Pisang Ambon, Lemon juice
Licorice Whip
Jagermeister, Bailey's
G4
Rhum à la menthe poivrée, Schnapps à la cannelle, Sambuca, Jagermeister
Four Horsemen
Whiskey, Tequila blanco, Whiskey, Whiskey
Jammy Donut
Vodka, Liqueur de framboise, Cream, Sucre
Jam
Whiskey, Amaretto
Pitbull On Crack
Bourbon, Rhum overproof, Vodka, Jagermeister, Citron vert
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Vodka à la vanille, Jus d'ananas, Grenadine
Jam Roly Poly
Advocaat, Liqueur de framboise
More top Shot cocktails
43 Mini Beer
Liqueur de vanille, Cream
Abortion
Vodka, Grenadine
Ice Bear
Sambuca, Cape Velvet
GREEN MEXICAN
Tequila blanco, Pisang Ambon, Lemon juice
Licorice Whip
Jagermeister, Bailey's
G4
Rhum à la menthe poivrée, Schnapps à la cannelle, Sambuca, Jagermeister
Four Horsemen
Whiskey, Tequila blanco, Whiskey, Whiskey
Jammy Donut
Vodka, Liqueur de framboise, Cream, Sucre
Jam
Whiskey, Amaretto
Pitbull On Crack
Bourbon, Rhum overproof, Vodka, Jagermeister, Citron vert
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Vodka à la vanille, Jus d'ananas, Grenadine
Jam Roly Poly
Advocaat, Liqueur de framboise
Explore every Shot cocktail
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Browse all Shot cocktails