Ingredients
- 1/3 oz Coffee Liqueur
- 1/3 oz Creme De Menthe
- 1/2 oz Irish Cream
Instructions
Prepare Your Shot Glass:
- Use a clear shot glass to showcase the beautiful layers of the drink.
Layer the Ingredients:
- Pour 1/3 oz of coffee liqueur into the bottom of the shot glass.
- Carefully layer 1/3 oz of green creme de menthe on top of the coffee liqueur. To do this, gently pour the creme de menthe over the back of a spoon to create a separate layer.
- Finally, layer 1/2 oz of Irish cream on top of the green creme de menthe, again using the back of a spoon to ensure it sits on top without mixing.
Serve:
- Serve immediately and enjoy the visually appealing and deliciously minty shot.
Video
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
Named for the After Eight thin chocolate mint, the dark chocolate squares with mint fondant inside. The shot copies the flavour profile in liquid form. Coffee liqueur for the chocolate, creme de menthe for the mint, Irish cream for the fondant.
It is a dessert shot. Common at restaurants where the bar is closing and the table wants one more round before coffee.
What it tastes like
Mint up front, sweet chocolate-coffee underneath, soft cream finish. It really does taste like an After Eight, which is the entire trick. Cold and slow drinks better than warm and fast.
Ice cold ingredients are what make the layers stay sharp. Anything starts to warm and the layers blur.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The coffee liqueur
- Use
- Kahlua or Tia Maria
- Why
- You want sweet coffee with body, not a dry coffee bitter
The creme de menthe
- Use
- Green creme de menthe, Marie Brizard or Tempus Fugit
- Skip
- White creme de menthe, the drink loses the visual layer
The pour
- Order
- Coffee liqueur, then creme de menthe over a spoon, then Baileys over a spoon
- Glass
- Tall shot glass or pousse-cafe glass
- Why
- Density layering only works if you go slow
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Mint syrup plus a drop of green food colouring. Loses the alcohol but keeps the layer.
Heavy cream sweetened with vanilla syrup. The layer holds, the alcohol drops.
Brewed espresso reduced with sugar to syrup. Authentic flavour, less booze.
Use Mr Black instead of Kahlua. Same coffee body, much less sugar.
Use Baileys Salted Caramel or Espresso instead of original Irish cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
Is the After Eight a layered shot?
How do I get clean layers?
How strong is it?
Can I shake it instead?
Can I make it without alcohol?
