B-52
Coffee liqueur, Irish cream and orange liqueur, layered in a shot glass. The 1970s layered shot that is still the one everyone can name.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Pour the coffee liqueur into a shot glass.
Pour the Irish cream slowly over the back of a bar spoon so it settles in a layer on top.
Pour the orange liqueur the same way, over the spoon, for the top layer.
Serve as it is, or flame the top layer briefly and extinguish before drinking.
A thoughtful finish
- Pour slowly over the back of a spoon held just above the surface. The spoon spreads the pour so it floats rather than punches through.
- Chill the Irish cream. Cold cream liqueur is denser and layers more cleanly.
- If the top layer sinks, your orange liqueur is too sweet or too cold. A 40% cognac-based orange liqueur floats easily; a cheap triple sec may need to be the middle layer instead.
Common mistakes
- Pouring in the wrong order. Coffee liqueur is heaviest, orange liqueur lightest; cream goes between.
- Pouring fast. A direct pour mixes the layers and you get a brown shot.
- Flaming it and drinking it while lit. If you must light it, blow it out, and never drink through a straw while it burns.
A few good questions.
Why does it layer?
Density. Sugar makes a liqueur heavier; the coffee liqueur has the most sugar, the orange liqueur the least, and the cream sits between.
Can I use triple sec instead of Grand Marnier?
Yes, and it floats more easily because it is lighter — but it is also sweeter and the shot loses the brandy note. Either works.
Should it be flamed?
It can be, because the top layer is 40% spirit. It is a party trick, not an improvement; the flame warms the top and burns off some of the orange aroma.
What are the variations?
Dozens: a B-53 swaps vodka for the orange liqueur, a B-51 uses Frangelico, a B-54 amaretto. The B-52 is the one that lasted.
Variations
- Buttery Nipple — Butterscotch schnapps and Irish cream.
- Toasted Almond — Amaretto, coffee liqueur and cream.
- Black Russian — Vodka and coffee liqueur.
- Kamikaze Shot — Vodka, lime and orange liqueur.
Where it comes from
c. 1977 · Banff, Alberta (attributed) · Peter Fich (attributed) · Banff Springs Hotel
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The B-52 is most often credited to Peter Fich, head bartender at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta in 1977, who is said to have named a series of layered shots after his favourite bands — the B-52’s among them. Rival claims come from Alice’s Restaurant in Malibu and from a Toronto bar, and none is documented beyond its own telling. What is certain is that layered shots in the Kahlúa-Baileys-Grand Marnier mould swept North American bars in the late 1970s and 1980s, and that the B-52 outlived nearly all of them. It is layered by density: the heavy, sugary coffee liqueur at the bottom, the cream in the middle, the lighter orange liqueur on top.
Sources
- Banff Springs Hotel bar history, 1977 (archive)
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Difford's Guide, B-52, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 0.64 US standard drinks at an estimated 21% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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