A Baby Guinness is a
shooter, a style of
cocktail
A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...
, or mixed alcoholic beverage, intended to be consumed in one shot. A Baby Guinness does not contain
Guinness
Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
stout. Its name is derived from the fact that it is made in such a way as to look like a tiny glass of
stout
Stout is a type of dark beer that is generally warm fermented, such as dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout and imperial stout. Stout is a type of ale.
The first known use of the word "stout" for beer is in a document dated 1677 in the E ...
containg archers and cream liquer.
Preparation
A portion of
coffee liqueur (e.g.
Kahlúa
Kahlúa () is a brand of coffee liqueur owned by the Pernod Ricard company and produced in Veracruz, Mexico. The drink contains rum, sugar, and arabica coffee.
History
Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. It was named Kahlúa, m ...
or
Tia Maria) is topped by a layer of
Irish cream
Irish cream () is a cream liqueur based on Irish whiskey, cream and other flavourings. It typically has an alcohol by volume (ABV) level of 15 to 20% and is served on its own or in mixed drinks, most commonly mixed with coffee or in shots such ...
(e.g.,
Baileys
Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur made of cream, cocoa and Irish Whiskey emulsified together with vegetable oil. Baileys is made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. It is the original Ir ...
or Coole Swan) which is poured over the back of a spoon so that it sits on the coffee liqueur. The ratio of coffee liqueur to Irish cream varies but is generally around 3-to-1. The resulting drink looks like a miniature pint of Guinness stout, with the coffee liqueur as the beer and the Irish cream as the head. It is normally served in a
shot glass
A shot glass is a glass originally designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either imbibed straight from the glass ("a shot") or poured into a cocktail ("a drink"). An alcoholic beverage served in a shot glass and typically consu ...
.
Some recipes call for the Irish cream to be whipped then spooned on top of the coffee liqueur in order to look more like the head on a pint of Guinness.
Variations
In some places a Baby Guinness is served with black
Sambuca
Sambuca () is an Italian anise-flavoured liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as "white sambuca" to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue ("black sambuca") or bright red ("red sambuca"). Like other anise-fla ...
instead of coffee liqueur
[ ] creating a drink similar to a
Slippery Nipple
The slippery nipple is a layered cocktail shooter most commonly composed of Baileys Irish Cream and sambuca. When prepared properly, the ingredients remain in two distinct visible layers due to the relative densities of the ingredients.
Histor ...
.
Baby Guinness Shot: Origins
The Baby Guinness shot, a popular drink in Ireland, is believed to have originated in the late 1980s at a Dublin pub called The Waxies Dargle. The pub, situated near the bustling Rotunda Hospital, was run by publican Stephen Daly, who crafted his own coffee liqueur using Irish whiskey as the base.
When new fathers came to celebrate the birth of their babies with a pint of Guinness, Daly would offer them a complimentary shot of his coffee liqueur topped with Baileys Irish Cream, which he named a "Baby Guinness." This tradition quickly gained popularity among the hospital staff, particularly nurses, who often directed fathers to The Waxies Dargle to enjoy the celebratory drink.
Over time, the Baby Guinness shot became widely known for its creamy, visually striking appearance, resembling a miniature pint of stout. Today, it is one of the most popular shots served in Irish pubs.
See also
*
List of cocktails
A cocktail is a mixed drink typically made with a distilled beverage, distilled liquor (such as arrack, brandy, cachaça, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or Whisky, whiskey) as its base ingredient that is then mixed with other ingredients or garnishme ...
References
External links
How to make a Baby Guiness
Shooters (drinks)
Cocktails with coffee liqueur
Cocktails with Irish cream
{{cocktail-stub