Boilermaker

Style

A boilermaker drink is a shot of whiskey served next to a beer, usually a 1.5 oz (44 ml) pour and a 12 oz (355 ml) beer.

Also called: shot and a beer

Shot: 1.5 oz (44 ml) whiskey
Beer: 12 oz (355 ml)
Total alcohol: About 2 US standard drinks (1.5 oz 40% spirit plus 12 oz 5% beer)
Formula: 1 shot (1.5 oz / 44 ml) whiskey served with 12 oz (355 ml) beer, side by side or dropped in

What boilermaker means

Two drinks come in one order: a shot and a beer. You will see it on bar menus as one item with both. The pairing is the part to think about, and the classic matches follow weight. Pair a lighter spirit with a lighter beer, and a heavier spirit with a heavier beer.

The name is usually tied to boilermakers, the workers who built steam boilers and locomotives in the 1800s, though no record proves how the drink got its name. Other countries have similar pairings, such as somaek, which is soju and beer.

A lot of home bartenders assume a boilermaker means dropping the shot into the beer and chugging it. The traditional serve is a shot and a beer side by side, sipped. Dropping the shot in is the depth charge style, so you do not have to chug it. A boilermaker is about two standard drinks, so pace it like two.

How to make a boilermaker

Pour a shot of whiskey and set it beside a cold beer, the simplest version of this drink.

1.Pour 1.5 oz (44 ml) whiskey into a shot glass.
2.Pour a 12 oz (355 ml) beer into a glass and set it beside the shot.
3.Match the weight: bourbon with an American lager or pilsner, or Irish whiskey with a stout.
4.If you drop the shot in, use a tall glass with room to spare so the beer does not foam over.

Boilermaker compared

ChaserA chaser follows a shot to wash it down. In a boilermaker, the beer and the shot are one order, often chosen to match.
Depth chargeDropping the shot glass into the beer is the depth charge or bomb style. The traditional boilermaker serves them side by side.
ShooterA shooter is one mixed drink meant to be downed at once. A boilermaker pairs a spirit with a beer.

Examples

Shot and a beer (whiskey and lager)
Irish Slammer
Sake Bomb
Somaek (soju and beer)
Kopstoot (genever and beer)
Herrengedeck (korn and beer)

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.