B-53 Shot
Coffee liqueur, vodka, and orange liqueur in a layered shot — the B-52 with Irish cream swapped for vodka for a sharper, less creamy take on the 1980s classic.
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The B-53 Shot is a variation within the famous B-52 family of layered shooters that rose to prominence in American and Canadian bars during the 1980s. The original B-52 — named after the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber — is most commonly credited to Alice's Restaurant in Banff, Alberta, Canada, in the late 1970s, and established the signature template of layered coffee liqueur, Irish cream, and orange liqueur. The family spawned numbered variations including the B-51, B-53, B-54, and B-55, each swapping one component. The B-53 replaces Irish cream with vodka, creating a sharper, less creamy version that lets the coffee and orange liqueur profiles dominate while preserving the theatrical layered presentation that made the B-52 family visually distinctive. This visual drama — layers carefully poured over the back of a spoon — was a defining feature of 1980s bar showmanship.
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