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Cluster Fuck

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Cluster Fuck

 
1/2 oz.             Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey
1/2 oz.             Wild Turkey Kentucky bourbon whiskey
1/2 oz.             1800 Tequila
1/2 oz.             Bacardi light rum
1/2 oz.             Skyy vodka
1/2 oz.             DeKuyper butterscotch schnapps
1 oz.                99  Apples schnapps 

Pour the Tennessee whiskey, the Kentucky bourbon, the tequila, the rum, and the vodka into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, and strain into a double shot glass. Add the butterscotch and the apple schnapps in at the end. Serve. Enjoy !

Perhaps another name for today’s recipe could have been The Kitchen Sink. Because obviously, this shooter has everything in it but the damn kitchen sink. But instead, this seven ingredient poison party is known as Cluster Fuck.

Now I’ve been familair with this term for some time….often I hear people throw a ” Mongolian ” at the front of it. For instance, when you are talking to a friend at the bar and you ask, ” Say, how did that huge project turn out at work ? ”

And their reply is, ” Oh Christ !! It was a Mongolian Cluster Fuck ! ”

Or sometimes some of the guys I watch football with on Sunday may throw this term out. Such as after the Chicago Bears fail to score a touchdown after having a first down on the one yard line. Inevitably, someone says, ” Well that was the usual cluster fuck by the Bears ! ”

But today, we hope that the Cluster Fuck is more of a friendly beast. It seems friendly enough—-what with the wide array of ingredients including a couple of tasty contributors like Jack Daniels and 1800 Tequila. Then there seems to be a couple of tamer schnapps thrown in on top to temper the potency of the prior ingredients. And thankfully for once, neither of them are peach schnapps !

So we have an eclectic collection of powerful libations finished off with a butterscotch / apple topping to it. I’m game !

The shot was interesting to say the least. And perhaps the funny thing is that the panel was almost duped into trying four rounds of this powerful punch in an effort to identify which tastes stood out and which ones were muted. And after four rounds of a double shot glass of Cluster Fucks, well……..you really do start to feel it.

Some really felt that you could taste the schnapps more than anything else with that element laying on top of the whole shot. And of the schnapps, the apple seemed to be most prominent. Perhaps it should be that way as there was twice as much apple schnapps versus any other ingredient. And it was on the top. Others on the panel felt that the whiskeys were at the forefront more than the other libations. The vodka and the rum seemed to be the most muted of the ingredients. And one panel member strongly felt that the tequila was the most recognizable. So there was a variety of opinions on what flavor was the most potent. And all agreed that the shot was mighty strong.

What prevented the shot from earning a really high mark on our scale was the overall taste. It wasn’t bad as some of the shots with so many components can be. But it wasn’t a lip smacking blend the way some fruity liqueurs work well together to make more of a tropical shot. Or how fruit juices like orange juice or cranberry juice can work well with vodka or rum. This shot struggled to define a true taste identity.

The Cluster Fuck was indeed a true cluster fuck.

And as a result, ShareMyShot gave it a 3 on our a scale of 5.

Cheers !!

Posted in 3 Star Shots, 99 Apples schnapps, Absolut, Apple Pucker, Bacardi white/light rum, DeKuyper Butterscotch Liqueur, DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, Evan Williams whiskey, Grey Goose Vodka, Hiram Walker Butterscotch schnapps, Hiram Walker schnapps, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo gold, Ketel One vodka, Knob Creek, Patron, Patron Silver tequila, Popov vodka, Sauza tequila, Skyy vodka, Smirnoff's vodka, Stolichnaya vodka, Tequila 1800, Thor's Hammer Vodka, Wild Turkey, apple schnapps, butterscotch schnapps, flavored schnapps, rum, schnapps, tequila, vodka, whiskey | 1 Response »

Absolut Suicide

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Absolut Suicide

1/4 oz.       DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1/4 oz.       DeKuyper Watermelon Pucker schnapps
1/4 oz.       DeKuyper Island Blue Pucker schnapps
1/4 oz.       Absolut vodka 

Chill each ingredient. Pour into a shot glass in equal parts, and serve.

There’s a ton of shots out there that incorporate the brand name Absolut into their monikers because, as any moron could deduce, they have an Absolut component to them. In the past, we shared the Absolut Train Wreck with you. It put three blends of Absolut vodka to work. I actually get a kick out of this one simply because it too has such a dangerous sounding name. And then only 25% of the shot is comprised of Absolut vodka—to the tune of 1/4  fluid ounces. I’m thinking this should have a more lovey-dovey name like Pucker Up or something. But today we are “proud” to share the recipe for Absolut Suicide.

Once again, we’ll see if the shooter lives up to its deadly designation. Often times, we are disappointed, as in the case of the Panty Dropper.

Anyone who enjoys throwing down shots and shooters should be pretty familiar with the Pucker family of flavors from DeKuyper. While often viewed as weak schnapps by tough-guy men and sometimes even women, I will admit that there are one or two flavors that are pretty tolerable. I myself can put up with the watermelon mix. To me, it tastes like a liquid watermelon jolly rancher hard candy. Now when the Pucker line was first introduced and Apple Pucker was a short fad, you often heard the same thing. As Colonel Potter used to say on MASH…..”Mule muffins ! ”

But I like the watermelon in small doses and the other members of the taste team could all identify at least one flavor that they find tolerable every now and again.

The Absolut Suicide shot employs three Pucker flavors from the family: Sour Apple, Watermelon, and Island Blue. And then there is the small measure of the Absolut vodka itself. Obviously if you want to have a true Absolut Suicide, you can’t use another brand of vodka. So strictly adhere to the ingredients as listed to have yourself a genuine Absolut Suicide.

And who doesn’t like to play around with something as playfully named as that?

The taste test team at ShareMyShot.com ——-that’s who.

It was unanimous among the group that the Absolut was the best part of this lifeless libation. A few people on the team wanted to double the quantity of the vodka component and eliminate the Pucker flavor that they liked the least. But that would be cheating on the recipe. It’s either good, bad, or ugly just as it is.

This one was rather ugly. For starters, it ends up being an odd color. In art class as a kid, you learned how mixing certain primary colors result in a whole new color. The same applies to a lot of mixed drinks and shots. But this light blue hue mixed with dark green and the not-exactly-red color of watermelon came out kind of unbalanced. The taste of this concoction was pretty queer too. We felt you could make a better mixture of multiple Puckers by perhaps using Strawberry Pucker with the Watermelon flavor. Or some other combination.

ShareMyShot had no choice but to give this lethal liquid a 1 on a scale of 5. And it’s only considered lethal because one team member threatened to jump out the window of our high-rise office if we made her do a third round.

You’re better off ordering that poisonous Chinese blowfish (fugu) if you want out that bad.

Cheers !!

Posted in 1 Star Shots, Absolut, Apple Pucker, DeKuyper Island Blue Pucker, DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, DeKuyper Watermelon Pucker, Island Blue Pucker, Watermelon Pucker, flavored schnapps, schnapps | No Responses »

Pain in the Ass

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Pain in the Ass

1 oz.           Midori melon liqueur
1/2 oz.        Bacardi 151 rum
1 oz.           Malibu coconut rum
1/2 oz.        DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
2 oz.           Dole pineapple juice
2 oz.           7-Up soda 

Pour the Midori melon liqueur, the Bacardi 151, the Sour Apple Pucker, and the Malibu Rum into a large double shot glass or a highball glass. Top it off with equal parts pineapple juice and 7-Up. Stir and serve.

We wanted to share a daring shot with you for the first recipe of 2010. And it doesn’t get more daring than the Pain in the Ass. Here’ s a shot that calls for a half-dozen different ingredients and is a 7 oz. shooter / drink. Just making it was a bit of a pain in the ass according to our corporate bartender.

Sometimes we do offer up a recipe that could be argued to be more of a ‘drink’ rather than a shot.

But we look at it this way: a typical “bomb” shot is usually at least 4-6 oz. I have a buddy who makes Jagerbombs with about 1/3 of a highball glass of Jagermeister and then a good 1/2 glass of Red Bull. When you drink it, it requires 3-4 swallows to get it down. So if a recipe calls for a highball glass or upwards of 6-7  fluid oz. we just look at it as a “bomb” shot.

Sometimes you just have to quaff down a big ol’ shot in the name of corporate research, ya know? Nobody ever said this job was easy. If the shot is a big one and tastes like balls, the luster of being on the ShareMyShot taste team wears off just a little bit. Not all of them are 5 star shots.

And the Pain in the Ass is certainly no 5 star shot.

We think there is just a little too much at work here. We reward creativity and an unusual blend of ingredients. But in this case, there was too much competition for dominance. The melon liqueur and the coconut rum are a nice combination. We’ve seen it before in other recipes for fruity, tropical, Carribean-type shots. And even adding in the Bacardi 151 doesn’t interfere with those flavors. The 151 rum is actually welcomed to add a little punch to the shot.

The pineapple juice is another tolerable ingredient to add to those first three components. But then when you add in the Apple Pucker and then 7-Up soda too………that made it a bit much.

I haven’t had a ton of shots that call for 7-Up soda or even Sierra Mist, Sprite, etc. And in this case, it contributed a fizzy, carbonated element that we felt interfered somewhat with the fruitier flavors. And the Apple Pucker seemed misplaced in this recipe.

ShareMyShot.com gives this elaborate mix a 1 on a scale of 5. It may have scored higher without the Apple Pucker and the soda in there.

But there’s always one or two ingredients that just have to be a royal pain in the ass.

And in this case, they kind of ruined the Pain in the Ass.

Cheers !!

Posted in 1 Star Shots, Apple Pucker, BOMBS, Bacardi 151, Caribbean, Malibu Rum, Midori melon liqueur, Seven Up soda, coconut rum, flavored liqueurs, fruit juices, liqueurs, melon liqueurs, pineapple juice, rum, schnapps, tropical fruit shots | No Responses »

Dragon Sweat

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Dragon Sweat

2/3 oz.   Everclear alcohol
1/2 oz.   DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1/3 oz.   DeKuyper cinnamon schnapps 

Pour ingredients into shot glass and serve.

I was intrigued when a bartender friend told me about this one. There’s a lot of shots out there with one combination of schnapps or another. And they’re usually not too bad. I’ve seen the apple and cinnamon schnapps pairing before {see previous recipes for Apple Jacks and Granny’s Apple Pie}. But those shots utilized a completely different third component as compared to the ass kicker that is Everclear.

At first I didn’t see any connection between the shot and its name. But then when it was poured, my Pavlovian dog training kicked in. Any time I’m about to do a shot with Everclear, my mind almost psyches me out. I have to work my way up to it. Loosen up my neck muscles a little bit. Rub my hands together a few times. Take a deep breath. It’s kind of like preparing to walk into a dragon’s lair. But that’s not everything that helped me to connect the name to the shot.

I drank three of these over a 50 minute period. They’re pretty tasty actually. Like we said, the apple and cinnamon schnapps combo is a somewhat popular twosome. Together they suggest an apple pie type of taste. So my curiosity was about how the Everclear would influence the taste. And as one might suspect with Everclear, it didn’t really change the taste much at all. It just provided a whopper of a kick to the normally staid schnapps. Everclear is like vodka at its roots. Pretty odorless. Pretty much tasteless. Simple pure-grain alcohol. So I didn’t expect it to have much of an influence on the taste and my suspicions proved correct. But it was noticeable.

After having had three of them in just short of an hour, I made the final connection to the name. My damn forehead was sweating a little bit. Everclear is one of the highest alcohol content libations legally available. But it reminds me of my buddy’s homemade moonshine he brings in from Yugoslavia. The kind of shit that you can pour a little splash on the bar and light it on fire for a while. Between my pre-ritual exercises just to do a shot with Everclear + the sweating forehead after downing a few, the name seemed more appropriate.

The only ingredient you can play around with is the brand of cinnimon schnapps you use. My bartender friend said he doesn’t see why you couldn’t use a different label other than DeKuyper. He even conceded that you might get away with Goldschlager or Aftershock. But at the bar, they use regular DeKuyper cinnamon schnapps. Otherwise, they “might have to charge an extra dollar or more for it”  if they used a higher-class brand.

ShareMyShot gives this fiery beast a 4 on a scale of 5. It has the tamer components to offer up a good tasting shot like the Apple Jacks shooter. But it takes it one step further by making it more of a manly shot that will give you a zing. Like any shot with Everclear or a higher alcohol content ingredient, just use your brains. Don’t go overboard.

Cheers !!

Posted in 4 Star Shots, Aftershock cinnamon schnapps, Apple Pucker, DeKuyper Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps, DeKuyper cinnamon schnapps, Everclear, Goldschlager, Hiram Walker cinnamon schnapps, Hiram Walker schnapps, apple schnapps, cinnamon schnapps, schnapps | No Responses »

Carmel Apple

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Carmel Apple

3/4 oz.   Apple Pucker schnapps
3/4 oz.   DeKuyper butterscotch schnapps

Mix equal parts of freezer cold schnapps. Gulp it down. Enjoy.

This shot is about as simple as it comes. A combination of a couple of popular flavors of schnapps. But we wanted to stay in-line with the recent recipes with a Halloween theme. And what is more Halloween and autumn-themed than carmel apples? Keep reading–I have a little enhancement trick with this shot that is similar to a little stunt I suggested in a previous recipe.

ShareMyShot.com has served up a few previous recipes capturing the flavor of tasty apple-oriented foods. The formula to reproduce Apple Jacks is one example. We also posted the ingredients for Granny’s Apple Pie. That’s the recipe where I suggested you chase the shot with a very small piece of graham cracker. I have a suggestion for you to enhance the experience of today’s shot recipe that is somewhat similar.

But first, make sure that you follow the instructions and serve the shot chilled. Some people keep all of their flavored schnapps and liqueurs chilled—-AfterShock, Apple Pucker, Goldschlager, RumpleMinze, Jagermeister, DeKuypers, etc. So for those people, serving this shot with chilled ingredients comes naturally. Others may leave a few particular flavors out at room temp. Because flavors like cinnamon and butterscotch are not typically chilled when we consume them in food, some bar owners leave them on the shelf. Usually, that’s fine.

However, when preparing Carmel Apple shots, we strongly encourage you to serve both ingredients chilled. I’ve never liked apple schnapps served warm. It seems so much more refreshing and tangy when served cold. Like the bite of a new, juicy golden apple. So adhere to the recipe for best results. At the very minimum, you can use chilled apple schnapps and room temp butterscotch schnapps.

And please do feel like you have the freedom to substitute your favorite brands for either component. This is a flexible recipe. You don’t have to go with Apple Pucker. If that brand is a little sour for you, go with your favorite brand of apple schnapps..

ShareMyShot gives this a 3 on a scale of 5. It is a very simple, tasty shot. It’s not the greatest brainstorm since the wheel or fire. And because the core ingredients are both a flavored schnapps, you are free to substitute brands.

Here’s my little enhancement tip: If you have any peanuts in the house—–in any form——pull them out. Whether you have a small canister of Planter’s peanuts or you have a big bag of shelled peanuts, grab five or six of them. Simply crush them once or twice (after de-shelling them for Chrissake) with a meat-seasoning mallet or the bottom of a big spoon. Don’t mulch them into gruel……just smash a few damn peanuts. Use them as a chaser after gulping this shot and your carmel apple resembles more of a taffy apple. I swear it works.

Try this shot at your Halloween party this year. Have a little, tiny bowl of crushed peanuts on your bar. And when you introduce the shot, encourage the crushed peanuts as a chaser. Just the psychological part of people’s minds will make them say, “Oh my God ! That does taste like a taffy apple ! ”

Or at the least, a Carmel Apple shot.

Cheers !!!!

Posted in 3 Star Shots, Apple Pucker, DeKuyper Butterscotch Liqueur, apple schnapps, butterscotch schnapps, dessert shots, schnapps | No Responses »

Apple Jacks

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Apple Jacks

1 oz.               DeKuyper Buttershots liqueur
1 oz.               DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1 1/2 oz.        DeKuyper Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps 

Stir ingredients together in a hi-ball glass and serve. Can be served unchilled…..unless you keep your Apple Pucker in the ‘fridge.

Here’s another shot recipe that attempts to capture the flavor of a popular, tasty food. And you know that we wouldn’t publish the drink at ShareMyShot if it didn’t come pretty close and tickle the palate. That is the case here.

I’ve always loved the breakfast cereal Apple Jacks. The cereal itself is pretty good. But the “after milk” that you have in the bowl is one of the best tasting “after milks” I’ve ever had. The sugar from the cereal sweetens it into something that has to resemble the nectar of the gods. The shot DOES NOT replicate the taste of the milk, however. What it does do is combine the taste of apple and cinnamon in a tight combination that gives you the feeling you just munched on a couple of pieces of Apple Jacks.

We have touted DeKuyper schnapps and liqueurs in a couple of previous recipes. They are a leading brand in the schnapps business. For this recipe, we recommend that you just go with the DeKuyper products. Don’t use DeKuyper for one or two of the ingredients and then go with a different label for the third one. If you are going to deviate from DeKuyper, feel free to do so. But try and use the same label for the whole shot. We are fortunate to have a well-stocked bar in the office of ShareMyShot and had no need to experiment with various types of schnapps brands. The ingredients required were on-hand.

This shot is smooth and sweet in nature. It’s not as sickening sweet as a watermelon liquid Jolly Rancher or some of the shots that are heavy on creamy liqueurs. The Buttershots add a dimension that helps to tame the sourness of the Apple Pucker and the gritty tang of hot cinnamon. When the three flavors are combined, none of them are extremely dominant over the others. It’s a perfect mesh.

We wouldn’t call this a dessert shot, exactly. But it is a party-friendly shot and female-friendly as well. You’d have to drink several to get inebriated on these. There is enough of an alcohol content where you don’t want to over-do it. It’s one of those shots where someone inevitably says, “I could drink like 20 of these and not even be buzzed”.

You might as well just eat a heaping bowl of Apple Jacks cereal. It’d be better for your liver.

We at ShareMyShot.com give this tasty breakfast cereal replica a 4 on a scale of 5. It’s creative and accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Cheers !!

Posted in 4 Star Shots, Apple Pucker, Buttershots, DeKuyper Buttershots liqueur, DeKuyper cinnamon schnapps, cinnamon schnapps, liqueurs, schnapps | No Responses »

Granny Apple Pie

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Granny Apple Pie
 
1 oz.  apple schnapps
1 oz.  vanilla schnapps
1/2 oz.  Goldschlager

Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents into shot glass. Enjoy.

I’ve mentioned how I enjoy shots that somehow or another, someone found the right concoction to recreate a delicious flavor from the food world. ShareMyShot.com has already shared recipes for shots that taste like bubble gum, lemonade, and maple syrup. If you drink shots at a bar or party occasionally, you’ve probably come across a shot that tastes like apple pie. Most connoisseurs of the shotglass have stumbled across the entire pie shelf over the years; cherry, pumpkin, apple, etc.

But this tasty shooter captures the flavor of grade A, all-American apple pie as well as any other mixture I have sampled. It’s not difficult to make and the only component you may not have handy behind your bar is the vanilla schnapps. Most well-stocked bars have a bottle of Goldschlager on-hand. Typically it is stored in the freezer and served chilled.

There are plenty of decent brands of schnapps you can use here such as DeKuypers or Hiram Walker. And an added benefit of this recipe is that schnapps aren’t very expensive either. If you have Apple Pucker in your stock already, you can use that for the apple schnapps element.

Here’s a little secret that I myself use when I make these. I simply take a graham cracker square and break it into as many pieces as there are shot drinkers. Right before drinking the shot, eat the little piece of graham cracker. Make sure it isn’t a big piece—you don’t want to completely blot out the flavor of the shot. But I have found that when you just eat a little thumbnail sized piece of graham cracker and get that subtle after-taste that it leaves…..then drink the shot….it almost gives the sense of a graham cracker crust on a little bite of apple pie.

Honest injun.

This really is a sweet tasting apple pie shot. If measured and mixed properly, it comes as close to legitimate apple pie flavor as any I have had in my life. And I have probably had apple pie shots in at least 5-7 establishments over the years. Women love them too. Usually you do have to make a decent sized batch because more than a handful usually want to join in on this popular comfort food/shot.

We at ShareMyShot give this little slice of heaven a 5 on a scale of 5. Try my trick with the graham cracker. If you don’t like to disrupt the taste of the shot itself, leave it out. Either way…….

Cheers !!!!!

Posted in 5 Star Shots, Apple Pucker, DeKuyper vanilla schnapps, Goldschlager, Hiram Walker schnapps, schnapps, vanilla schnapps | No Responses »

Jack Pucker

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Jack Pucker

1 ½ oz of Jack Daniels
1/3 oz of chilled Apple Pucker

No kidding here. If Jack Daniels has a little too much bite for you, or it’s getting late in the evening and your stomach just may not be able to handle a 6th shot of straight Jack, this little ditty might be right up your alley. Simply pour a healthy shot of J.D. and then top it off with a splash of the chilled Apple Pucker. It provides a cool alternative to the sometimes harsh warmth of Jack Daniels after a night of chicken wings and poppers. And the Pucker tones down on the bite that you normally get with Jack. Keep in mind, it doesn’t spoil the shot. You’re still drinking whiskey, son.

But this one may keep you from getting the spins an hour later lying in bed. Keep that in mind.

We at ShareMyShot.com give this little temptress a 3 on a scale of 5.
It’s more to tone down your party than to get the party rolling.

Posted in 3 Star Shots, Apple Pucker, Jack Daniels | No Responses »