Ingredients
- .25 oz Sour Apple Schnapps
- .25 oz Watermelon Schnapps
- .25 oz Grape Schnapps
- .25 oz Vodka
Instructions
Chill the ingredients:
- Ensure all the schnapps and vodka are well chilled before preparing the shot.
Pour equal parts:
- In a shot glass, pour equal parts sour apple schnapps, watermelon schnapps, grape schnapps, and vodka.
Serve immediately:
- Enjoy the fruity and bold flavors of the Absolute Suicide shot right away.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Absolute Suicide is a 2000s American novelty shot, born out of the schnapps boom that ran from the late 1990s into the early 2010s. The name is the marketing: four schnapps in one glass sounds like a bad idea, but the equal small pours mean none of them dominate.
It sits in the four-fruit-schnapps family next to the Suicide Shot and the Berry Bomb. The vodka is what distinguishes the Absolute version: most multi-schnapps shots stop at three or four flavoured liqueurs, the Absolute adds the clean spirit on top to lift the cocktail out of pure-sugar territory.
Best ordered at a college bar, at a bachelor party, or at any setting where a four-flavour fruit shot fits the moment. Not a craft-cocktail shot.
What it tastes like
Apple sourness up front, watermelon and grape in the middle, a clean vodka finish. The four flavours read as a tropical fruit punch on the palate, with no single one dominating because the pours are small.
Around 18 percent ABV in the shot. Lower than a vodka-only shot because three of the four ingredients are schnapps under 30 percent neat. Drinks easier than the four-spirit list suggests.
The technique
Chill all four bottles in the fridge or freezer for at least an hour before pouring. Pour a quarter ounce of each into a shaker filled with ice. Shake for five seconds. Strain into a chilled tall shot glass.
Cold ingredients hold their character better and prevent the shot from going syrupy. A chilled glass keeps the drink crisp from the first sip.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The four schnapps and vodka
- Use
- DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, Bols Watermelon, DeKuyper Grape, plus Absolut or Stoli vodka.
- Skip
- Schnapps syrups without alcohol. Different drink.
- Why
- The four flavours need to sit at small pours and equal proportion. Each one carries its own sugar curve; small pours keep them balanced.
The chill step
- Use
- All four bottles in the fridge or freezer for at least an hour.
- Skip
- Room-temperature schnapps. Goes syrupy.
- Why
- Cold schnapps reads sharper on the palate. Warm schnapps reads as sugar. The chill step is what stops the shot from being cloying.
The shaker
- Use
- A standard cocktail shaker with cubed ice.
- Skip
- Stirring.
- Why
- The shaker chills further and combines the four flavours. A stir leaves the layers separate; the shot wants the flavours integrated.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
The standard build
- Absolute Suicide, shaken
- A quarter ounce each of sour apple, watermelon, grape, and vodka, shaken with ice. Strained into a chilled tall shot.
The lighter build
- Absolute Suicide, taller
- Build the same recipe but at half-ounce pours of each. Strain into a six-ounce double shot. Same flavour at twice the volume.
The frozen build
- Absolute Suicide, blended
- Drop the build into a blender with crushed ice. Blend smooth, pour into a small rocks glass. Drinks like a fruit-punch slushy.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Concord grape juice plus a teaspoon of vodka. The shot loses the alcohol weight on the grape note but keeps the colour layer.
Watermelon-flavoured vodka. Different sugar curve, similar fruit profile.
Apple liqueur plus a few drops of fresh lime juice. Get the sour back through the citrus.
Skip the vodka and bump each schnapps to a third of an ounce. Sweeter, lower ABV, drinks closer to candy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in an Absolute Suicide shot?
A quarter ounce each of sour apple schnapps, watermelon schnapps, grape schnapps, and vodka, shaken with ice and strained into a chilled tall shot.
How strong is an Absolute Suicide?
Around 18 percent ABV in the shot. Lower than a vodka-only shot because three of the four ingredients are schnapps under 30 percent neat.
What does it taste like?
Apple sourness up front, watermelon and grape in the middle, a clean vodka finish. Reads as a tropical fruit punch with no single flavour dominating.
Why is it called Absolute Suicide?
The name is back-bar marketing from the 2000s schnapps boom. Four schnapps in one shot sounds like a bad idea; the equal small pours mean none dominates.
Why does the shot need to be chilled?
Cold schnapps reads sharper on the palate. Warm schnapps reads as sugar. The chill step is what keeps the shot from being cloying.
Can I shake it without a shaker?
A jar with a tight lid works. Add ice, the four ingredients, shake for five seconds, strain through a fine mesh into the shot glass.
Can I make a non-alcoholic version?
Apple juice, watermelon syrup, grape juice, and water in equal small pours, shaken with ice. Different drink in flavour but in the right shape.
What glass should I serve it in?
A tall shot glass holds the one ounce of finished drink. A small rocks glass works for a doubled-up version.
Can I batch it for a party?
Combine the four ingredients in equal measure in a chilled bottle. Refrigerate. Pour one ounce per shot at service. Skip the per-shot shake; the chill does the work.
What other shots are similar?
A Berry Bomb, a Suicide Shot, a Skittle Bomb, and a Jolly Rancher. All four sit in the multi-schnapps fruit-shot family.
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