A boilermaker is a beer cocktail consisting of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey,[1] tequila, or vodka. The beer is either served as a chaser or is mixed with the liquor. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply “a shot and a beer.”
Contents |
Drinking
| Type | Beer cocktail |
|---|---|
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | Neat; undiluted and without ice |
| Standard drinkware | A pub glass and a shot glass..svg){kind=small} .svg){kind=small} |
| Commonly used ingredients |
|
There are various ways to drink a boilermaker:
“Generally speaking, the Boilermaker is merely a glass of beer with a shot of whiskey served on the side. The shot goes down in one, and the beer follows, being sipped rather than quickly downed.”[2]
- Traditionally, the liquor is drunk in a single gulp and is chased by the beer.[3]
- The liquor and beer may be mixed by pouring or dropping the shot into the beer. The mixture may be stirred, if desired.[3]
- The liquor may be poured directly into an open beer can after removing some of the beer.
Variations
- A Poktanju (Korean for “bomb drink”) is made by dropping a shot of whiskey or soju (소주) into a pint of Korean beer.[1][2] It is sometimes called a Soju Bomb by English-speakers.
- An "October Crisis" is a variant in which a dash of maple syrup is added to the whiskey before being dropped into the beer. Traditionally done with Labatt 50 and Canadian Club Whiskey.
- A "Wh'basco" is a variant in which a shot of whiskey is poured into a pint of beer, and a dash of "Tabasco sauce" is added.
Boilermakers in popular culture
Film
In the 1938 Warner Bros. musical Gold Diggers in Paris, a character played by Edward Brophy tries to order “a boilermaker and his helper” from a French bartender who has no idea what he means. Another American (Allen Jenkins) tells the bartender to get him a short glass of gin and a tall glass of beer.
In the 1963 comedy film The Nutty Professor, Buddy Love (played by Jerry Lewis) orders a boilermaker and adds, “And heavy on the boil!”
In Airport 1975, a woman played by actress Myrna Loy keeps ordering boilermakers, much to the surprise of the men around her.
In the 1975 film Brannigan, John Wayne orders a boilermaker when he first visits an English pub after a long flight. Later, Richard Attenborough orders two boilermakers when they learn that the suspect they came to arrest has been kidnapped.
In the 1976 film The Bad News Bears, Morris Buttermaker (played by Walter Matthau) mixes a shot of whiskey into his beer in the first scene. Throughout the movie he carries around beer cans, presumably boilermakers, and several characters call him “Boilermaker,” especially Amanda Whurlizer, the daughter of Buttermaker’s ex-girlfriend.
In the 1977 novel 'Success' by Martin Amis, leading character Terry Service orders a boilermaker in a London pub in an attempt to cure a very bad hangover. It results in him rushing out of the pub and being violently sick.
In the 1988 crime/action film "Shakedown (1988 film)", Roland Dalton (Peter Weller) meets Richie Marks (Sam Elliott)in a bar, Dalton orders, "Give me two of whatever he's [refering to Richie Marks] having." the bartender responds with, "You want a quadruple boilermaker?" To which Dalton replies, "Yeah, and a Pepsi." [4]
In the 1992 film A River Runs Through It (directed by Robert Redford), Craig Sheffer orders a boilermaker for himself and his brother (played by Brad Pitt) to celebrate not only his announcement of loving Jessie, “the only fish in his pond,” but also a job offer from the University of Chicago to lecture and become a professor.[5]
In the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber, Jim Carrey’s character, Lloyd, orders a round of boilermakers for Seabass (played by Cam Neely) and his friends “to bury the hatchet.” But Lloyd tells the waitress to put the drinks on Seabass’s bill — and also the meals ordered by himself and his friend, Harry (played by Jeff Daniels).
In the 1999 teen drama Varsity Blues, Billy Bob (played by Ron Lester) drinks a boilermaker at a party, then barfs into a washing machine.
In 2005 comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the gang downs boilermakers in the club in an attempt to get Steve Carell’s character drunk.
Mickey Rourke’s character, Marv, in the 2005 film Sin City famously orders, “Shot and a brew; keep ’em coming!”
In the 2005 remake of The Bad News Bears, Billy Bob Thornton plays Morris Buttermaker, who drinks boilermakers.
In the 2006 film The Departed, Irish Mob boss Francis “Frank” Costello is seen paying for a boilermaker.
In the 2008 film Eagle Eye, the lead female character drinks boilermakers with her friends in an early scene.
Television
In an episode of The Golden Girls, Sophia Petrillo tells a story from her past in which she and Pablo Picasso “slammed down a few boilermakers” before making “passionate love.”
In the Cheers episode “Show Down (Part Two),” two prim-looking older women enter the bar and, after musing about whether to order cups of tea or glasses of sherry, eventually settle on “two boilermakers — Wild Turkey and Bud.”
In an episode of ALF, Kate Tanner’s college friend has the nickname “Boilermaker” because she used to drink 14 of them in one night.
In an episode of Home Movies titled “Everyone’s Entitled to My Opinion,” Coach McGuirk says that you shouldn’t drink beer before liquor, which leads to a discussion about boilermakers.
In an episode of Sanford and Son, an admirer of Fred’s claims that they shared 14 boilermakers in one night.
In The Wire, the longshoremen almost exclusively order “a shot and a beer” while drinking at their favorite bar. Boilermakers are also popular with police officers Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland during their after-shift drinking sessions.
In season two, episode five, of Frasier, Martin invites Niles and Frasier to Duke’s, where the special is a boilermaker.
In an episode of M*A*S*H, Colonel Daniel Webster Tucker of the Inspectorate is said to never order anything but “a shot and a beer.” Hawkeye and his friends use this as the basis of a prank played upon Colonel Tucker.
Music
Boilermaker was an indie rock band from San Diego during the 1990s.
The Jesus Lizard, an alternative rock band, has a song titled “Boilermaker.”
Birth Thru Knowledge (aka BTK), a Canadian hip-hop/rock band, has a song titled “Boilermaker.”
Richmond Fontaine, an American alternative country band, has a song titled “Give Me Time” with the refrain “Give me boilermakers, give me time.”
References
- ^ Walkart, C.G. (2002). National Bartending Center Instruction Manual. Oceanside, California: Bartenders America, Inc. p. 123. ASIN: B000F1U6HG. “Serve whiskey in a shot glass with a glass of beer on the side as a chaser.”
- ^ Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology (first ed.). New York: Clarkson Potter. p. 226. ISBN 0609608843.
- ^ a b Hellmich, Mittie (2006). The Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails. Chronicle Books. pp. 93-94. ISBN 0811843513. http://books.google.com/books?id=ds5uVGQM8OAC&lpg=PA93&dq=boilermaker%20drink&pg=PA93#v=onepage&q=boilermaker%20drink&f=false.
- ^ Occurs at 28 minutes and 45 seconds into the film (as observed on the time listing on Netflix's streaming presentation of the film.)
- ^ Found 1 April 2009 on http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/r/river-runs-through-it-script.html Search for “boilermaker,” or watch the movie, after the scene where Betty’s brother leaves Montana.
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