Food & DrinkTaste VideoSt. Patrick's Day

The History Of The Irish Car Bomb, And Why You Probably Shouldn't Ever Order One

You might want to think twice before you order one.

Whatever you do, please do not order an Irish Car Bomb in Ireland. If you do, you'll fully deserve to be thrown out of the pub. You may have never stopped to consider the name of this Guinness-Baileys drink, too occupied with making sure that you don't spill any as you chug the beer-shot combo. We understand, no judgement from us.

But as you get prepared to enjoy many car bombs this Saint Patrick's Day, you may want to know a few things before you get too inebriated.

  • First, the Irish Car Bomb is an American cocktail -- it's only called Irish because of the use of Guinness, Baileys Irish Cream and Jameson Irish Whiskey.

  • Second, we call it a car bomb because when the shot of Baileys is dropped into the glass of Guinness, it bubbles up like an explosion. Because of the Irish ingredients, someone thought it was a good idea to name it an Irish Car Bomb. It was not. Car bombs are not taken lightly in Ireland and the name makes reference to a difficult time in Ireland -- one where many people were hurt, and times were hard. It's offensive and naming a drink after this time in history doesn't really make a lot of sense -- it's just insensitive.

  • Third, if you're going to make this drink, you need to know how to make it properly (and try to come up with a different name for it).

    • This is how to make an Irish Car Bomb Cocktail (better name TBD):

    Pour yourself a glass of Guinness. Not too much because you'll have to chug it all, but enough to cover the height of a shot glass (about half a pint). Next, in a shot glass pour half an ounce of Jameson Irish Whiskey and half an ounce of Baileys Irish Cream. Drop the shot glass into the beer, chug and repeat.

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