B-52 Shot
4.0 83 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a shot glass
Method
- 1 Select a SHOT GLASS.
- 2 Refrigerate ingredients.
- 3 LAYER in chilled glass by carefully pouring ingredients in the order listed.
Flavour profile
26.4% alc./vol. · 0.7 standard drinks · 135 calories
History
The most famous and widely enjoyed shot-style cocktail.
A bartender named Peter Fich is most often credited with creating this cocktail in 1977, while working at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada. The 1977 date of origin aligns with cocktail books from the era. For instance, the B-52 is not included in Jones' Complete Barguide, published that year as "The most comprehensive and up to date collection of drink recipes (4,000)." However, ten years later, the B-52, B-53, and B-54 all appear in The Bartender's Cherry, published in 1987. Fich reportedly named his cocktail creations after his favorite bands, their songs, or albums; one such band was The B-52s. The band, formed in 1976, took its name from the beehive hairstyle worn by vocalist Cindy Wilson, which resembled the nosecone of the B-52 bomber. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a U.S. high-altitude bomber, was constructed between 1952 and 1962 and entered service as a long-range nuclear bomber. Thus, this layered shot is named after a band, which was named after a hairstyle, which was named after a bomber. The indirect truth is that this shot derives its name from the B-52 bomber.