Man's Take Magazine

Down the Hatch: The B-52 Ultimate Shooter Drink

Yes, the B-52 Stratofortress long range bomber aircraft may have served over 50 years in defense of the United States as a serious force to be reckoned with, but its namesake the drink is an equally powerful force. It may not have six jet engines nor can it carry 70,000 pounds of explosives, but it does contain three potent liquors that pack a solid punch.

This little shooter is smoother than a 20mm Vulcan Cannon, and that’s no lie. It may seem an odd combination of alcohol, but in the end it comes together for something so special it may just become your favorite drink of all time. The ingredients are a little pricy, but well worth the cost over that crap you’ve been drinking.

The B-52 (we’re talking about the drink if you hadn’t guessed) definitely qualifies as my personal favorite, and with only a single taste of this layered liqueur I’ve convinced dozens of others to adopt this as their own “stratofortress” of alcoholic shooters.

When made according to the directions this drink has an aesthetically interesting look because it sits in three distinct layers. On top is a transparent golden layer, followed by a white creamy middle laying on top of a dark syrupy bottom.

After the first drink, when everyone has commented about how cool it looks, you can dispense with all the effort of keeping the layers separate. In the end it tastes about the same layered or slightly mixed. I believe the layered variety performs just a tiny bit better in the taste department because of how each liquor involved washes out the previous one. But reality says that you slam the thing down so fast your brain can’t even register the order any further.

There three ingredients to this shooter are as follows: 

            1 part Grand Mariner
            1 part Baileys Irish Cream
            1 part Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

When you see the drink layered you have the Kahlua settled on the bottom, followed by the Baileys, and Grand Mariner resting on top. They settle based on the density of each liquid. To make the drink you actually pour the liquors in the opposite order to how they layer. So you pour Grand Mariner first, Baileys next, and Kahlua last.

If you poor slowly and carefully (use a pouring spout and pour down a stirring rod to avoid splashing), you will see how each liquor settles underneath the previous. If you pour too fast it will all begin to mix together, but as long as you pour them slowly and in the right order the drink is going to work out fine even if it doesn’t look quite right. Besides, if it’s not being consumed right by the bar where it’s made, it will likely be mixed by the time it reaches its final destination anyway.

This is not a sipping drink. It’s a shooter. So buck up and down the thing. The creamy Bailey’s really takes some of the bite out of the Grand Mariner and the Kahlua sweetens the mix. I personally make my B-52s heavier on the Grand Mariner and Baileys, with only a little bit of Kahlua.

Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the liquor. This is a case where you should definitely use the name brand varieties. The cheap imitations just don’t work as well for this particular concoction. So stick to the top shelf and start dropping B-52s just like the megaton bombs that come out of the real deal.

This is a drink you’re really going to like.

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