Irish Car Bomb Drink

This American favorite is a shot of Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueur, dropped into a pint of Guinness beer.

My first attempt at making tonight’s drink, the Irish Car Bomb, was when I was in college. Being fairly new at the time to the world of alcoholic beverages, I would often concede to the suggestions and advice of older and/or more experienced friends. I was just discovering the frothy, creamy joys of a tall pint of Guinness when I was asked if I ever had an Irish Car Bomb before. I’m half-Irish, so my eyebrow arched a little at the name.

That previous summer, my family hosted a kid from Ireland that grew up in Omagh, site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks during the 30-year conflict known as The Troubles. Only a year before our guest came to stay with us, their town’s market square fell victim to a 500-pound car bomb planted by the Real IRA, which injured more than 200 people and killed 29. So when I was asked about the drink, I thought about that poor kid and the people from Omagh.

While this drink is popular on St. Patrick’s Day in America, you probably shouldn’t order it if you’re traveling abroad, especially in Ireland or Great Britain. The name is pretty insensitive and offensive there, and even here in the U.S. many bartenders refuse to serve the drink. About seven years ago my friends and I were celebrating St. Paddy’s at our local Irish pub in Burbank, called The Snug. The night ended with a bunch of us delving into some Irish Car Bombs. Nobody blanched at the drink’s moniker. Here on the West Coast, I suppose we were so far away and removed from the violence of those times that even I just rolled with it and forgot. Until I had a few too many and ralphed all over the gas station down the street. Haven’t had one since.

A Boilermaker style of drink, the Irish Car Bomb is a variation on the simple and effective “shot and a beer” cocktail. The Bomb uses a combination shot of whiskey and Irish cream liqueur, dropped into a pint of Guinness, Ireland’s most famous draught. In 1979, Connecticut bartender Charles Oat let loose a shot of Bailey’s and Jameson – which he already referred to as an IRA – into a glass of Guinness and declared “bombs away!” With The Troubles making headlines the world over, and actual car bombs being notoriously used by the IRA, the name naturally just stuck. Over time, with the controversial nature of the drink’s title, other names have been used instead, like the Irish Slammer, Dublin Drop or Irish Shot.

What is the Best Alcohol to Use in an Irish Car Bomb?

You can always go with the tried and true choices of Jameson for your whiskey, Baileys for the Irish cream and Guinness for the beer. I prefer a frosty, cool draught beer as opposed to the heavier and thicker-tasting stout. There are plenty of other options available, so when you’re shopping at your favorite booze barn, browse around and try out a few different brands.

FAQs & Tips

Similar Drinks to the Irish Car Bomb

For working stiffs, after a long hard day on the job, nothing beats visiting your favorite bar and grabbing a shot and a beer to take the edge off. But some drinks bring that concept to a different level, by dropping the shot into the beer itself. If you like having a little fun with your beverages, try out some of these other libations that follow the same concept.

• Sake Bomb – Take a shot of sake and drop it into your favorite Japanese beer.
• Boilermaker – The classic “shot and a beer” cocktail. You can either drop your shooter of whiskey or bourbon into a tall glass of ice-cold beer, or you can down it first.
• Kopstootje – A Dutch concoction, which means “headbutt”. Pair your beer with a shot of Jenever, a Dutch gin.
• Chicago Handshake – Also known as a Drive-by, this beer cocktail includes a shot of Malört… which by all accounts is one of the most disgusting-tasting spirits available.