INsite Magazine: Mixing It Up at the Reitz: Shots and Shooters

“Shots…Shots….Shots…Everybody” was the song of the evening. The final night of the bartending leisure course in the Reitz Union basement was bittersweet, and it was not from all of the Sambuca shots. Everyone came together one last time for good drinks and a few laughs from the many shots we learned how to make, including the Buttery Nipple, the Screaming Orgasm Up Against the Wall (read on for the recipe) and the Blowjob shot – yes, we got a demonstration.

During the first half of the class, we learned the differences between liqueurs, cordials, shots and shooters. Here is the DL on these: Liqueurs and cordials are made from natural products, such as coffee, mint, citrus or almond. They are what we would call the “ugly” part of the drink because all of the sugar is what gives us that unbearable hangover. Liqueurs represent the name brands we are most familiar with like Kahlua and Baileys. Cordials are generic versions of our favorites but at a lower price. A bottle of Kahula (flavors consist of regular, hazelnut, french vanilla, etc.) is $16, while an identical tasting bottle of Kimora is only $9.

Shots are made using one liquor, such as the Tootsie Roll (Kahlua and orange juice) and a shooter is a multi-liquor drink, like a B-52 (layers of Kahlua, Baileys and Grand Marnier). My favorite shooter of the night was the Hairy Navel, made with vodka, orange juice and peach schnapps (we used Dekuyper’s Luscious Peachtree). Also worth recreating is a Soho Lychee liqueur with a splash of cranberry, a popular martini combo in many Asian restaurants.

Here are some other recipes to mix up at your next party:

Melon Ball: vodka, melon schnapps and orange juice

Washington Apple: Canadian whiskey, apple schnapps and cranberry

Buttery Nipple: Baileys, butterscotch schnapps (Add sambuca to make it a slippery nipple)

Screaming Orgasm Up Against the Wall: Kahlua, Baileys, vodka, amaretto schnapps, banana schnapps, Galliano and cream.

Try these out during spring break and let us know what you think!