This little sweetie was born out of a summer competition. Some friends of ours down at The Shack were hosting a summer potluck on the beach. Their German guests were to leave soon, so we were all asked to bring a German dish. There would be voting. And prizes. Since I’m rarely one to turn down a challenge, I knew the game was ON. My favorite German delight is Black Forest Cake — hardly a beach-friendly summer dessert! So instead, I decided to make a drinkable version, in the form of a shooter. By the way, I won third place.

So these same friends had given me some chocolate vodka, so I was covered for that flavor. I had Chambord (stand-in for cherry). I acquired Whipped vodka. And used some Bailey’s with Hazelnut for some body. Add a maraschino cherry and you have the liquid Black Forest Cake, right?

Black Forest Cake Shooters
Serves 2

1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) chocolate vodka
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) whipped vodka
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) Chambord
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) Bailey’s with hazelnut
2 maraschino cherries

Put the vodkas and liqueurs in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds until the cocktail shaker is icy. Strain into your shooter glass. Garnish with a cherry on the rim.

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The party version: pour equal amounts of each vodka and liqueur into a large pitcher (1 cup each makes ~24 to 32 shooters). Refrigerate until well chilled. Put a maraschino cherry in a disposable plastic shooter or condiment cup. Pour the chilled shooter concoction over the cherry. Keep in mind, this wasn’t diluted by ice, like the shaker version, so it’s a bit stronger. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. This makes a nice Welcome to your holiday parties!