Boilermaker (beer cocktail)

A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.

The ingredients of the American version of a boilermaker.

The drink originated in Butte, Montana, in the 1890s, and was originally called a "Sean O'Farrell" and was served only when miners ended their shifts.[2]

In England, the term "boilermaker" traditionally refers to a half pint of draught mild mixed with a half pint of bottled brown ale, although it now also commonly refers to the American shot and pint. In Scotland, "a half and a half" is a half pint of beer with a whisky ("a hauf").[3] The use of these terms in Scottish and English pubs can be traced back to about 1920.[4]

Drinking

There are a number of ways to drink an American beer chaser:

  • Traditionally, the liquor is drunk in a single gulp and is then "chased" by the beer, which is sipped.[5][6]
  • The liquor and beer may be mixed by pouring or dropping the shot into the beer. The mixture may be stirred.[5] If the shot glass is dropped into the beer glass, the drink can also be known as a depth charge.
  • The liquor may be poured directly into an open beer bottle or can after consuming some of the beer.

Similar drinks

Other pairings of a shot and a beer are possible; traditional pairings include:

  • Herrengedeck ("gentlemen's menu"), a German pairing of Korn (grain brandy) and beer.[7]
  • Imp 'n' Arn, Imperial whisky and Iron City Beer, exclusive to Pittsburgh.[8]
  • Irish Car Bomb, an American pairing of a shot of Irish cream and whiskey into a glass of stout
  • Kopstootje ("little headbutt"), a Dutch pairing of Jenever (Dutch gin) and beer,[9] term attested 1943.[10]
  • Somaek or Poktan-ju, a Korean pairing of soju and beer
  • U-Boot, a German pairing of vodka and beer
  • Yorsh, a Russian pairing of vodka and beer
  • The Chicago Handshake, a shot of Jeppson's Malört alongside Old Style beer
  • Desperado, a shot of tequila with a Mexican beer.
  • Tequila In-It. Corona with a shot of tequila floating in the neck of the bottle. Served with lime and salt.

See also

References
  1. Walkart, C.G. (2002). National Bartending Center Instruction Manual. Oceanside, California: Bartenders America, Inc. p. 123.  ASIN: B000F1U6HG. The BCIM lost track of the traditional American Boilermaker from the 1970s and 80s; this involves a "depth charge," which is a shotglass filled with whiskey that is dropped into a 2/3 filled pint of beer. The 2002 manual suggests to “Serve whiskey in a shot glass with a glass of beer on the side as a chaser.”
  2. Randall, Jessy F. (2013). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Oxford University Press USA. p. 58. ISBN 9780199734962.
  3. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: half". Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  4. Partridge, Eric (1937). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, Edition 8, 2002. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 978-0415291897.
  5. Hellmich, Mittie (2006). The Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails. Chronicle Books. pp. 93–94. ISBN 0-8118-4351-3.
  6. Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology (first ed.). New York: Clarkson Potter. p. 226. ISBN 0-609-60884-3.
  7. Matthew Rowley (2015). Lost Recipes of Prohibition: Notes from a Bootlegger's Manual. The Countryman Press.
  8. Stevens, William K. "Pittsburgh Bemused at No. 1 Ranking," The New York Times, Sunday, March 31, 1985.
  9. Kopstootje: A Little Head Butt from Stillwater Artisanal Ales and Bols Genever, Jonathan Moxey
  10. De pers in Nederland, H. A. Goedhart N.v. Nederlandsche uitgeverij "Opbouw,", 1943, p. 162
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