Day 151: The Flaming Dr. Pepper

It used to be my favorite shot when I was 21. It tastes good and you can set it on fire. It is called the Flaming Dr. Pepper. The ingredients are simple: nearly fill a shot glass with amaretto (cherry flavored liqueur) and top it with a 151 proof rum. On the side, fill a pint glass a quarter way full of beer. Any pilsner will do just fine. Then you light the top of the shot glass. 151 liquor burns fairly easily. You let the flame go long enough to take a quick picture, lift it up, drop it in the glass, and chug. Take a quick burp after you’re done and enjoy the sweet cherry flavor and the warm fuzzy feeling inside.

That’s when things go well.

There are two problems with the Flaming Dr. Pepper. One is that not many companies make 151 liquor anymore and even fewer bars carry it. Having liquor that strong at a bar is bound to cause problems when intelligent drunk brains decide they should just do shots of 151 all night. And two, you are setting something on fire while you are drinking. Not a great idea. But we’ve had worse ideas as a society.

Case and point:

I was not there, but I saw the video. Some friends were on an island I will not name at a bar I will not name that is attached to a putt-putt course I will not name. Back in the day, many bars on this nameless island carried 151 because it was new and cool. I bet this bar stopped after this incident. So, the friends ordered the shots, explained to the bartender how to make it, and proceeded to watch the bartender make the drinks. The thing about this nameless bar is that you can take drinks onto the putt-putt area, so they don’t want glass in the grass. Do you see where I am going with this yet? The bartender made the shots in plastic cups. So soon after he lit all the shots, the cups melted and spilled all the liquor onto the bartop. There was shouting. There was laughter. There was a scared bartender frantically slapping the bar with his towel because he got set up by a bunch of drunks that knew better. But now there is a story about it. No one was hurt and nothing was damaged besides the cups.

So, for all you curious 21 and up cats out there, if you can find 151 rum and have the rest of the ingredients, I would say go for it at your next house party (preferably outside). But be prepared for a potential mess when your one friend gets cold feet and drops the flaming shot glass on the ground. And make sure you use real glass.

Cheers.

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Photo by Jia Jia Shum on Unsplash