Ingredients
The shot
- 35 mlcoffee liqueur, chilled
- 15 mlIrish cream liqueur, chilled
- a shot glass, straight-sided
Equipment
- a bar spoon
Directions
- Chill both bottles and the glass. Warm liqueurs mix rather than layer, and the whole trick is the layer.
- Pour the coffee liqueur into the shot glass to about two-thirds full and let it settle.
- Hold a bar spoon just above the surface, rounded side up, with the tip touching the inside of the glass.
- Pour the Irish cream very slowly over the back of the spoon so it spreads across the surface rather than dropping through. It floats because it is less dense than the coffee liqueur, but only if it arrives gently.
- Stop when the cream head is about a centimetre thick — the proportions are what make it read as a miniature pint of stout rather than a layered shot.
- Serve immediately. The layers blur within a few minutes.
Technique
- The spoon must touch the glass. Pouring into open air breaks the surface and the cream sinks in streaks.
- There is no Guinness in it. The name is entirely about how it looks.
- Irish cream curdles in contact with anything acidic, so this is poured last and drunk soon.
Substitutions
- Any coffee liqueur works; the density relationship is what matters, not the brand.
- A butterscotch or hazelnut liqueur in place of the coffee gives a paler, sweeter version.
Variations
- A Mini Guinness made in a taller glass with a longer coffee-liqueur body.
- A Slippery Nipple, the same technique with sambuca and a drop of grenadine.
History
A modern Irish pub shot mimicking a miniature pint of stout, popular since the 1990s.
Frequently asked questions
What is Baby Guinness?
Baby Guinness is a cocktail from Ireland: coffee liqueur shot floated with Irish cream to look like a pint. A modern Irish pub shot mimicking a miniature pint of stout, popular since the 1990s.
How long does Baby Guinness take to make?
Baby Guinness takes 2 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 shot. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Baby Guinness?
Yes, within limits. Any coffee liqueur works; the density relationship is what matters, not the brand. A butterscotch or hazelnut liqueur in place of the coffee gives a paler, sweeter version.
What is the most important thing to get right in Baby Guinness?
Chill both bottles and the glass. Warm liqueurs mix rather than layer, and the whole trick is the layer.
