How To Make A Rich German Chocolate Cake Shot

A favorite of newly twenty-one-year-old drinkers and sugar fiends alike, the chocolate cake shot — also known as the German chocolate cake shot — is a mainstay in bar culture. And after a hearty meal, drinking dessert instead of eating it can be a more palatable option. If you normally gravitate to decadent brandy alexanders but are in the mood for something lighter, this simple shot only requires a few ingredients and is a delectable, drinkable dessert you can make at home. Hazelnut liqueur, vodka, sugar, and a lemon wedge are all you need to make this chocolate cake-inspired shooter.

For the vodka, you have plenty of options, but for the sake of your liver, shoot for one of the vodkas Food Republic has ranked in our top 10. If you want to minimize any further sweetness, keep the vodka unflavored. If your sweet tooth cannot be satiated, substituting plain vodka for a vanilla or chocolate flavored one will double down on the sweet, chocolatey goodness. 

You'll need a sugar-dusted lemon wedge plus sugar along half of the rim on your shot glass. Since this isn't a sipping drink, a full rim would be a waste of sugar, so only rim the part where your lips will make contact on the glass. You'll then pour equal parts of hazelnut liqueur and vodka into your shot glass. Some recipes call for a 2-to-1 ratio of liqueur to vodka, but the extra vodka — especially if you're using a chocolate-flavored one — will impart even more oomph. If you aren't a fan of vodka and still want to try this, switch to either plain white rum for a traditional chocolate cake shot or a coconut rum for the German rendition.

Little-known fact: German chocolate cake isn't actually a German dessert. Rather, it's a one created by Samuel German, an English-American, who's responsible for a style of chocolate produced by Baker's, a chocolate company.

The pivotal flavors in German chocolate cake, compared to those in regular chocolate cake, include coconut and pecans instead of hazelnuts, which is the flavor you get when using the hazelnut liqueur. To add some pseudo authenticity to your German chocolate cake shot, include shredded or desiccated coconut to the sugar rim or substitute the liqueur for spirits that use chocolate and either coconut or pecan.

The order in which you take the shot will help with the magic of this concoction. But don't fret, there are only two steps. Step one: Suck on the sugar-coated lemon wedge. Step 2: Take the shot. The mix of spirits and the zap of acidity from the lemon will leave your mouth thinking it just enjoyed a slice of (German) chocolate cake!