What Is a Pancake Shot?

Often referred to as a breakfast shooter, a pancake shot is an alcoholic drink usually made of whiskey and, normally, a butterscotch liqueur. This drink is said to closely resemble the taste of a pancake breakfast. Other ingredients, such as blueberry flavored alcohol, may be used to vary the taste of the drink. A the shot is often garnished with a slice of cooked bacon.

There are several different variations of a pancake shot, but each is supposed to taste like buttery pancakes doused in syrup. The drink often consists of two layered alcohols and is neither shaken nor stirred. Some versions do not layer the drink, however, and contain additional ingredients.

Butterscotch schnapps, or another butterscotch liqueur, is present in most versions of a pancake shot. A white or gold whiskey is the other usual ingredient, but a few versions may use a dry beer instead. To make a flavored pancake variation, blueberry, strawberry, or another fruit-flavored alcohol is normally added in addition to the butterscotch flavoring. Vodka or schnapps are the most frequent flavored pancake choices. Other variations of this shot may add sugar and a lemon slice to a mix of hazelnut and orange liqueur.

Usually the whiskey or hazelnut liqueur is poured into the glass first, then the schnapps or orange liqueur is added, often to create the layered effect. When sugar and lemon are used, after the hazelnut is poured into the glass, the lemon slice is placed over the top of the glass and the sugar is sprinkled onto the slice. The orange liqueur is then poured slowly over the lemon and into the glass. Most of the sugar will remain on the lemon, creating a sticky sweet coating. Alternatively, the lemon can be omitted and sugar can rim the glass.

The most common garnish for a pancake shot is a small slice of cooked bacon, which is often twisted and placed inside the shot glass. Alternative garnishes include typical spices found on or in pancakes, such as cinnamon. A chaser of orange juice is a common compliment to a pancake shot as well. When the lemon-sugar method is used, the drinker normally bites the lemon after taking the shot.

A pancake shot is not the only type of breakfast shooter. A plethora of familiar breakfast favorites can be transformed into alcoholic drinks. Blueberry muffins, waffles, and French toast are a few examples.