Equipment
- Shot Glass
Ingredients
- .5 oz Vodka
- .25 oz Triple Sec
- .25 oz Lime Cordial
Instructions
Shake the Ingredients:
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 0.5 oz of vodka, 0.25 oz of triple sec, and 0.25 oz of lime cordial.
Strain and Serve:
- Shake well until chilled, then strain the mixture into a shot glass.
Enjoy:
- Serve immediately and enjoy your refreshing Kamikaze Shot.
Video
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Kamikaze appeared in American bar manuals around the early 1970s, almost certainly invented in a navy bar somewhere in the Pacific. The name is World War II code for go-hard-die-hard, applied to a shot that knocks you flat. By the 1980s it was on every bar menu in the United States.
The cocktail version (served in a coupe with a lime garnish) is older. The shot version (in a small shooter glass) became standard when bars started selling cheaper, faster drinks in the 1980s.
What it tastes like
Sour and slightly sweet, with vodka heat behind the citrus. Drinks like a small Cosmopolitan without the cranberry. Tart, clean, gone fast.
Quality of triple sec matters more than vodka. Cheap triple sec tastes synthetic; Cointreau makes the drink taste like a real cocktail compressed into a shot glass.
The technique
20ml vodka, 20ml triple sec, 20ml fresh lime juice. Shake hard with ice for 8 seconds and double-strain into a chilled shot glass. Drink in one.
Fresh lime is the difference between a great shot and a chemical-tasting one. The drink has only three ingredients; one of them being awful is fatal.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The vodka
- Use
- Plain neutral vodka (Smirnoff, Absolut, Tito's)
- Skip
- Flavoured vodka (clashes with the lime)
- Why
- You want clean alcohol underneath. Flavoured vodka adds complications.
The triple sec
- Use
- Cointreau (the original)
- Try
- Grand Marnier for a richer, oakier shot
- Why
- Cointreau is clean orange with proper sweetness. Cheap triple sec tastes synthetic.
The lime
- Use
- Fresh lime juice
- Skip
- Bottled lime juice or sweetened lime cordial
- Why
- Three ingredients means each one has nowhere to hide.
Variations
Other shots and shooters when one drink is meant to disappear fast.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Tequila turns it into a Tequila Kamikaze. Gin turns it into a Gimlet shot. Both work.
Cointreau is the canonical version. Grand Marnier makes it richer. Curacao adds depth.
Lemon works but the drink loses some lime brightness. Bottled juice is flat and ruins the shot.
Add 5ml simple syrup. Loses some sharpness, gains drinkability.
Bump vodka to 30ml and adjust other ingredients down by 5ml each.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Kamikaze Shot?
Equal parts vodka, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. Standard spec: 20ml of each, shaken with ice and double-strained into a chilled shot glass.
How do you make a Kamikaze Shot?
Combine 20ml vodka, 20ml Cointreau, and 20ml fresh lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake hard for 8 seconds and double-strain into a chilled shot glass.
Where did the Kamikaze come from?
Almost certainly a US Navy bar in the Pacific, around the early 1970s. The name references World War II Japanese pilots, used here to mean a shot that hits hard.
Kamikaze shot vs Kamikaze cocktail?
Same recipe, different size. The cocktail is roughly double the spec, served up in a coupe with a lime wheel. The shot is the same in a small shooter glass.
Kamikaze vs Cosmopolitan?
Both use vodka, triple sec, and lime. The Cosmopolitan adds cranberry juice. The Kamikaze keeps it just three ingredients.
What triple sec is best?
Cointreau is the canonical choice. Grand Marnier adds cognac richness. Avoid cheap blue or coloured triple sec.
How strong is a Kamikaze Shot?
Around 25 percent ABV in the small shot glass. Stiff. The lime hides the alcohol entirely.
Should it be shaken or built?
Shake. The lime juice needs to be cold and fully integrated. Building over ice in a shot glass produces a thin, separated drink.
What glass should I use?
A standard 30ml shot glass. The drink is slightly more than 30ml of liquid which fits a 50ml shooter glass perfectly.
Can I batch Kamikaze shots?
Yes, premix the three ingredients in equal parts in a bottle. Refrigerate. Shake to order with ice and pour into shot glasses.
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