What’s the Best Boilermaker Recipe? We Asked 6 Bartenders for Their Favorites

In celebration of World Bartender Day, we asked bartenders about their favorite boilermaker combinations. (Photo: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Feb. 24 is World Bartender Day, and what better way to celebrate all the talent behind the stick than to take a deep dive into the preferred tipple of choice for bartenders everywhere: the boilermaker?

What is a boilermaker? A boilermaker is simply a fancy term for a shot and a beer.

This boozy combo has humble roots, and it may seem counter-intuitive that bartenders would opt for such a simple drink after a shift, but think about it — if you just spent six hours mixing hundreds of drinks, would you want to make one more? Or would you just want a stripped-down drink that gets the job done?

The boilermaker supposedly takes its name from tradesmen in the 1800s who made iron boilers for steamships and trains, according to Wine Enthusiast. After a long day of manual labor, these workers would head to a local bar and opt for a shot and a beer to signal the end of the work day.

Though boilermakers typically involve a whiskey and beer, there are no rules when it comes to finding the perfect shot-and-beer combination. We spoke with some bartenders behind the stick at bars on both coasts to share with us their favorite boilermaker combinations so you too can raise a glass to your favorite bartender for World Bartender Day.

6 Boilermaker Combinations for World Bartender Day

Sotol and South African Vin de Constance

Sotol is a bright and herbaceous spirit distilled from the Dasylirion plant — a plant colloquially known as the “desert spoon.” It’s slightly more lifted than mezcal, less creamy than tequila and is just entering the lexicon of bar enthusiasts in America.

Hailing from the Constantia district of Cape Town, Vin de Constance is a South African dessert wine from the Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grape. It is known for its creamy, floral-driven richness, making it an excellent chaser for a shot of Sotol.

Jeff Harding, the former beverage director at the Waverly Inn for 13 years and current consultant, is a fan of this eclectic boilermaker, and he recommends using Casa Lotos Sotol. This squeaky clean Sotol has all those lifted floral notes, making it pair excellently with the South African dessert wine.

Calvados and Champagne

(Photo: Press Association via AP Images)

For those looking to enjoy a boilermaker with a more decadent vibe, Shawn Lickliter of Los Angeles’ Petit Trois recommends a shot of calvados with a champagne chaser — a combination you can’t go wrong with.

Calvados is a French apple brandy typically from Normandie, and Food & Wine reports that just around 300 producers are making the stuff. With its richly potent baked apple profile and a hefty proof, a shot of this stuff practically screams luxury.

Champagne makes one heck of a bubbly chaser, and if you’re looking to go all out, we suggest a Chardonnay-based blanc de blancs. Unlike a Pinot Noir-based champagne with its red fruit aromas and tannic structure, champagnes composed exclusively from chardonnay have plenty of cream, hazelnuts and a rounded texture, making this boilermaker one that’s fit for royalty.

Irish Whiskey and Low-ABV Stout

(Photo: Guinness 0.0)

This next boilermaker is for all the sober curious folks out there. We’re not quite in the warmer months, and the combination of a shot of Irish whiskey and a low-ABV stout is soul-warming — without the hangover.

Kevin Denton Rex, former bartender and spirits educator at Pernod Ricard, shared that his go-to boilermaker was a shot of pot-still Irish whiskey and a low-alcohol stout.

If you’re searching for a good low-ABV stout, Guinness 0.0 might just do the trick. This well-reviewed low-alcohol beer has been in wide demand, and in October 2024, Diageo allocated $32 million to continue expanding production capacities for this low-alcohol stout.

Blanco Tequila and Japanese Whisky Highball

(Photo: Suntory)

This boozy boilermaker hits that sweet spot for agave and whisky lovers alike. If you’re torn between the two spirit categories, this one is for you.

Gonzalo Ramos of the Paltry Room is a fan of drinking a shot of additive-free blanco tequila and following it up with a Toki Highball.

Highballs are a simple, refreshing cocktail made with liquor and a non-alcoholic mixer, usually soda water. Ramos’ highball of choice features Toki Japanese Whisky with a spritzy little splash of soda water. If you want to know how the critics have rated Toki Japanese Whisky, you can read the reviews here.

Chartreuse and Champagne

(Photo: Chartreuse)

Estelle Bossy, a beverage director and consulting mixologist who ran two Michelin-starred programs at the same time — phew! — chose this unconventional boilermaker when she’s looking to unwind after a long shift. As she puts it, a glass of champagne with a shot of Green Chartreuse is “not traditional but hits all the right notes.” She shares this combination is “fancy, a bit nerdy and very easy to put together.”

Green Chartreuse is potent and flavorful and has 130 plants and herbs. As far as flavor goes, this liqueur has an electric sweetness and herbaceous zip. When chased with some crisp bubbles, this boilermaker is nothing short of magic.

Consider chasing your shot of Green Chartreuse with a Blanc de Noirs — a champagne composed of Pinot Noir. With plenty of zippy minerality, structure and some red fruit vibes, this champagne and Chartreuse pairing makes for one wild combination — that works.

Mezcal & Lindeman’s Framboise

(Photo: Lindeman’s Framboise)

Eric Castro, the co-owner of Gilly’s House of Cocktails and host of the Bartender at Large Podcast is partial to a shot of mezcal paired with Lindeman’s Framboise, a type of fruited beer that falls firmly within the lambic category.

Lambics are a special breed of beer that undergoes open-top fermentation and are completely dependent on ambient yeasts for the fermentation process. They have a particularly long maturation process and are often fruited as well. These deliciously fruity beers are cocktail-friendly, and Castro swears this combination is its own mini cocktail.

“The two flavors of smoke and fruit just melt into each other,” Castro said.