Flaming Dr. Pepper – A Beautiful Mess

A bomb shot, but add fire. The Flaming Dr. Pepper is an amaretto shot set on fire using overproof rum, then dropped into a lager beer. The flavors mix to simulate the flavors of Dr. Pepper (there is no actual Dr. Pepper soft drink in this recipe). Although we advise extra caution, we’re excited to show you have to make this fun, flaming shot!

Related: White Tea Shot, Green Tea Shot, Mini Beer Shot, Mexican Candy Shot, Lemon Drop Shot, Scooby Snack Shot, Washington Apple Shot.

Ingredients

• Lager Beer – Choose your favorite lager beer—nothing fancy.
• Amaretto Liqueur – Gives this drink the Dr. Pepper-like flavor.
• Overproof Rum – Is needed for flaming cocktails. Overproof rum is above 50% alcohol by volume (standard proof rum will not create the desired flame). Look for overproof rum or 151 proof rum.

To make this recipe, you’ll need a standard shot glass and a nice heavy highball glass or pint glass.

Instructions

First, pour beer into a beer glass.  Fill a highball or pint glass half full with lager beer. Set aside.

Next, prepare your shot, first by adding the amaretto then adding overproof rum on top of the amaretto. The high-proof rum is needed for flaming cocktails.  

Next, use a lighter to ignite the top of the shot. Carefully pick up the shot from the bottom of the shot glass (the top of the glass may be very hot) and drop it into the larger glass.

History

There are two different sources that claim to have created the Flaming Dr. Pepper shot in the 1980s. The Gold Mine Saloon in New Orleans claims to have first created this recipe and also The Ptarmigan Club in Bryan, Texas (this is near Texas A&M University). As is common in cocktail history, it’s hard to know the true origin, so we’ll give them both the credit.

Tips for Making

• If you don’t have access to overproof rum, you can still make this shot using regular proof rum (just don’t try to set it on fire—it won’t work). There are a few substitutions for overproof rum. Absinthe and grain alcohol such as Everclear can both create big flames. 
• Safety tips: Never set things on fire when you’ve already been drinking. Be sure to grab the shot glass from the bottom as the top of the glass is likely very hot. When you drink the completed shot, be careful not to let the shot glass hit your teeth. Always drink responsibly.
• If you want to use actual Dr. Pepper in this recipe, we recommend using it as a chaser after this shot is consumed. You could try substituting the beer for Dr. Pepper, but we haven’t tried it and the outcome is likely to be overly sweet.

More Dropped Shots (Bomb Shots)

• Boilermaker – The original drop-in shot is made by dropping a shot of whiskey or rye into into a lager beer- Boilermaker.
• Irish Shot – The Irish version of a Boilermaker uses Guinness Stout, Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueur.
• Jägerbomb Shot – Drop a shot of Jägermeister liqueur into Red Bull to make this popular recipe- Jäger Bomb.
• Vegas Bomb – Drop a shot of Crown Royal and peach schnapps into a glass of Red Bull and cranberry juice for this variation- Vegas Bomb.
• Cherry Bomb – Drop a shot of cherry liqueur into a Red Bull with grenadine to create the Cherry Bomb shot- Cherry Bomb.

More Recipes to Try