Shooters

The terms shooter and shot are often combined and confused – especially after having a couple. At their most basic, shooters are unadorned alcohol in a shot glass. More colorful varieties are built layer by layer with contrasting spirits, and often have names as colorful as their layers: Sex on the Beach, Bastille Bomb, After Eight, Bob Marley, to name a few. The force that makes or breaks a layered shooter is well known: gravity. As a general rule, lower alcohol content means higher specific gravity: i.e., it sinks. So first pour the stuff with less alcohol -- such as Cacao Liqueur or Coffee Liqueur -- and then add the kicker: vodka, tequila, sloe gin, etc. Shooters of all stripes can be devised. But go easy, lest you wake up somewhere over the rainbow.
Perhaps the most famous shooter name is "Sex on the Beach," a contemporary classic composed of vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and orange juice.