The words breakfast, shot, and alcohol are likely to conjure up images of haphazard college hangover cures, but somehow this Irish Breakfast drink is far from that.
In fact, you can probably consider an Irish breakfast shot in the same league or family as a mimosa, which is Champagne and orange juice, or a screwdriver, which is vodka and orange juice.
It makes the perfect breakfast drink because its flavors pay homage to everyone’s favorite breakfast foods: pancakes, syrup and bacon. Before you say anything, no, this drink does not require any blending of actual food.
Instead, it is a pleasant shot full of sweet, spicy and warming liquors. With its strip of bacon and orange juice chaser, you might actually be convinced that you are eating a full-on pancake breakfast.
This drink can be a great way to start the day, but just as breakfast for dinner is a thing, this drink can also be enjoyed at any point throughout the day. It can also be a tasty centerpiece drink to serve to your guests on St. Patrick’s Day or at any other party throughout the year. I mean, come on. The flavors of an amazing breakfast and Irish booze?
What more could anyone ask for? So, read on for Irish Breakfast shot guide to learn how this drink could become your new go-to cocktail shot.
Origins of the Irish Breakfast Shot
This Irish shot goes by many names. We call it an Irish Breakfast shot, but you might also hear it be called an Irish pancake shot, a pancake breakfast, or breakfast of champions. What deems it Irish is still unknown. The breakfast flavors of this shot are not in any way inspired by a traditional Irish breakfast.
Other than the addition of Irish whiskey in this cocktail, there is no real reason to attribute it to the Irish. Nevertheless, this boozy breakfast drink still packs a delicious boozy punch that will easily remind you of your favorite pancake breakfast.
Whether you are ringing in St. Patrick’s Day or are just looking to start your day on a high, this breakfast alcoholic drink hits the same satisfying spot as warm maple syrup, sweet and fluffy pancakes, and crispy, savory bacon.
What is an Irish Breakfast Shot?
An Irish Breakfast shot takes the flavors of the most important meal of the day and stuffs it into a shot glass. It definitely sounds like a strange premise, but this shot is definitely growing in popularity.
Ingredients:
- Irish Whiskey
- Butterscotch Liqueur
- Orange Juice
Bacon
Directions:
The breakfast alcoholic drink setup is quite simple: a glass of orange juice, the shot, and a slice of crispy bacon. First, you take the shot, chase it down with the orange juice, and finish it off with the bacon.
Ideally, the shot should emulate the flavors of pancakes with maple syrup while the OJ and the bacon tie everything together so that for a split second you swear you just had the best breakfast of your life.
What Do You Need to Make an Irish Breakfast Shot?
To make an Irish breakfast shot, you do not need any complicated equipment. To start, you need two different glasses: one shot glass for the whiskey and butterscotch liqueur and one regular-sized glass for the orange juice.
Some recipes suggest a low-ball glass for the orange juice, but whatever you have on hand should be good since the orange juice does not really need to be measured.
You may also need a cocktail shaker to combine the whiskey and liqueur. However, since it is so few ingredients, you can easily just stir them together.
A cocktail shaker just makes the mixing a little bit faster, but it does add to how many dishes you will end up washing. Other than that, this is easily one of the easiest shots to make, which makes it perfect for any occasion or environment.
Irish Breakfast Shot Recipe – A Jameson Irish Whiskey Special
While we do not know the exact reason, this is called an Irish Breakfast shot, and we can safely guess that it has something to do with the fact that most recipes do not vary on the whiskey type. For this Irish Breakfast drink, it is Irish whiskey all the way.
This particular recipe we want to share with you uses Jameson Irish Whiskey. Jameson is a particularly good whiskey for this shot because of its flavor notes.
It has subtle notes of butter, vanilla, and honey, which all blend well with the butterscotch liqueur to create the taste of pancakes and maple syrup.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. of Jameson Irish Whiskey
- ½ oz. of Butterscotch Liqueur
- A glass of orange juice
- 1 slice of bacon
Directions:
Start off with a shot glass and a low-ball glass. Pour the whiskey and the butterscotch liqueur into the shot glass. Pour the orange juice into the lowball glass and lay the bacon across the top of the glass.
Then, take the shot, chase it with the OJ, and finish it off with the bacon. One non-traditional way to take this shot is to take the shot of Jameson and orange juice together in one glass or shot rather than two, but that is definitely up to you.
This recipe is a pretty much no-frills or gimmicks kind of drink because it really is all about the flavor and mimicking your Nana’s best pancake breakfast. If you are looking for a way to jazz up the shot, you can rim the shot glasses with cinnamon sugar. It is a fun, tasty shot that can start off your happy hour or even your morning on a high note.
I mean, who does not enjoy a pancake breakfast at all hours of the day? Though, disclaimer, we do not suggest using this beverage as a replacement for an actual meal.
Variations of the Irish Breakfast Shot
Like we mentioned above, the recipe for an Irish breakfast shot stays pretty consistent across the board: whiskey, butterscotch liqueur, orange juice, and bacon. However, variations occur with the brand and type of whiskey and butterscotch liqueur. Every brand is different and can bring slightly different flavor notes to your cocktail.
Irish whiskey, first and foremost, is the most common and most recommended whiskey to put into this drink. You could try to replace the Irish whiskey with American whiskey, if that is your preference, but it is important to understand that you will probably get a completely different flavor in your breakfast shot.
Irish whiskey is made with barley, while American whiskey is made with corn, rye or wheat. This makes Irish whiskey slightly less sweet, which perfectly balances out the sweet butterscotch liqueur. So maybe if you are the type to drown your pancakes in maple syrup, you might prefer the sweeter notes of American whiskey.
If you do decide to go with Irish Whiskey, there are still several options for you to choose from. Jameson Irish Whiskey is one of the best-known Irish whiskeys because it is pretty affordable and has a smooth, sweet and spicy vanilla flavor.
Another good affordable brand is Wolfhound Irish Whiskey that has more delicate flavors of butterscotch, ginger and vanilla that mixes well with other drinks. In the case of the Irish Breakfast drink, this particular whiskey actually brings out the sweetness of the bacon.
If you want to try out something a little more upscale, Powers Irish Whiskey has a far more complex flavor profile than what we have seen so far. It has flavors that range from fresh butter, biscuits, toasted rye, honey, cardamom and green apple.
This whiskey is packed full of warm and spicy depths that just rounds out anything you add it to. Granted, that might be more than what you normally ask for on your average plate of pancakes.
Another alternative is to use blueberry vodka instead of whiskey to make the shot taste like blueberry pancakes. Another twist is to use hazelnut liquor and orange liqueur topped off with a sugared lemon slice to create a sweet and sour flavor to your pancake shot.
What is great about the Irish Breakfast shot is that it is simple and straightforward to make and does not require a whole lot of ingredients. But in addition to that, you can jazz up the flavor of your shot by playing around with a range of delicious whiskeys.
Can You Make A Full Irish Breakfast Cocktail?
Many people are glad to get their Irish breakfast fix in a shot glass, but what if a shot glass does not hit the spot for you? Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a full Irish Breakfast Cocktail.
This particular recipe we want to share with you is quite extravagant. It eliminates the orange juice but incorporates the bacon in a rather interesting way.
Ingredients:
1 ½ shots of pancetta-infused Jameson’s Irish whiskey- 1 shot of Advocaat egg liqueur (you can use an egg white instead)
- ½ shot of maple syrup
- ½ shot of lemon juice
Directions:
- First, make the Pancetta-infused Jameson by frying up three slices of pancetta. After it is cooked, cooled, and rid of all its excess grease, add it to a ½ a liter of Jameson. Let it sit in the fridge for two days. After two days, spoon out the fat and strain the mix. It keeps well in the fridge for an extended amount of time.
- Chill your martini glass with ice.
- Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake to combine.
- Strain the mixture into your martini glass.
- Garnish it with a lemon twist.
If anything, it seems like this cocktail takes the concept of shoving breakfast into a glass more literally. This cocktail is a totally unusual experience, but do not be put off by the prospect of a meat-infused cocktail. Just think of it as a brother to a Bloody Mary. The ingredients sound strange, but the results are definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
More Irish Cocktails & Shots
The family of breakfast cocktails and shots do not just include mimosas, screwdrivers, and an Irish breakfast shot.
Start off easy with a classic Irish Coffee. Made of sweetened coffee, Irish whiskey and whipped cream, this is a classic morning treat to warm you up on the holidays or just everyday.
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. of hot water
- 2 tsp. Light brown sugar
- 2 oz. Irish Whiskey
- 1 cup of brewed coffee
- ½ cup of heavy cream for a whipped topping
- Chocolate shavings
Directions:
- Fill two mugs with hot water and let them sit for 2 minutes.
- Then pour out the water and add 1 teaspoon of the light brown sugar to each mug.
- Pour the hot coffee and dissolve the sugar.
- Pour in the Jameson.
- Whip up the cream until soft peaks form and top off the coffee with the cream and chocolate shavings.
Another form of this cocktail is to make an Irish Cream Hot Chocolate, which is one of my personal favorites around the holidays. It just uses hot chocolate rather than coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream rather than Irish Whiskey.
If you want something a little more upscale and refreshing, you might want to try an Irish mint mule. This light cocktail quickly mixes Irish whiskey, ginger beer, lime juice and mint for a fizzy, tangy and refreshing drink.
Another simple, but classy Irish cocktail is a Jameson and Ginger. The recipe is nothing more than a shot of Irish whiskey with ginger ale.
This high ball is a refreshing drink for any whiskey lover.
If you want a cocktail that tastes like a full-on breakfast, but skips over the meat-infused whiskey, you might consider ordering a maple syrup cocktail. This cocktail combines dark rum, Irish cream, maple syrup, and milk with bacon bits and waffles to garnish. You can definitely sip your drink or use it as a dip for your waffles.
Another fun Irish themed shot to try are baby Guinness Jello shots. This particular recipe features Guinness, Patron cafe, and creme de cacao layer with an Bailey’s Irish Cream layer on top for an ultimate Irish boozy hit.
You can also get that Irish whiskey shot with Pot o’Gold shots that combines lemon or pineapple jello with cold Irish whiskey to make these golden cups of boozy bliss.
One shot that mimics the Irish pancake shots’ sweet pancakes and syrup flavor is an oatmeal cookie shooter. This popular shooter uses butterscotch schnapps, cinnamon schnapps, Irish cream, and Jagermeister to create the flavor of an oatmeal cookie.
Non-Alcoholic Irish Alternatives
If you do not feel like stomaching alcohol at the start of your day, but still want to try and emulate that sweet pancake flavor in a shooter, don’t hesitate to dip your bacon in some maple syrup and chase everything down with some orange juice.
It has the same effect, just minus the booze.
Also, sometimes Irish whiskey and cream can easily sneak up on you. If you are having a St. Patrick’s Day party or just a get-together and do not want to deal with the nasty hangover, you can still enjoy some non-alcoholic Irish themed drinks, such as a Pear & Thyme Spritzer or a refreshing Mint Julep.
Conclusion
St. Patrick’s Day or not, this Irish breakfast alcoholic drink will definitely bring a nostalgic smile to anyone’s face. With its spicy, warm whiskey and butterscotch mix and bacon and orange juice chaser, this cocktail deconstructs and mixes up breakfast in a whole new interactive way.
If you are tired of the ordering mimosas or screwdrivers at brunch or just want a twist on your normal shot menu, an Irish Breakfast shot is definitely the way to go.
Not to mention, this is a delicious beverage that differs from the typical tequila or vodka shots. People may be hesitant to try this Irish Breakfast shot at first. It makes sense because who expects to see a strip of bacon with their drink. But once they give it a try, they’ll love the idea of breakfast drinking more than they ever did before.
