THE BAR TAB: The “Richard Pryor” drink

Welcome to our latest article series called “The Bar Tab” where our good friend and contributor Patrick “Hollywood” Dorsey reviews and demonstrates interesting drinks to make our readers, well, more interesting.

For this week, we’ve got the “Richard Pryor”. Here is what Hollywood had to say about it:

When my old bartending buddy from St. Louis called me last week to tell me about “this new shot I HAD to try,” he sold it with the ultimate shot-trifecta of claims:

“MAN, I got hammered,” “The lady’s loved it,” and “It’s unlike any shot I’ve ever done.”

At ESM’s test labs, we take planning very seriously.

THE SHOT:

It’s called the “Richard Pryor”.

The ingredients are simple enough, Gran Marnier and Kahlua, but it’s HOW you take the shot that will turn heads. A Richard Pryor is made by lighting a shot of Gran Marnier on fire in a snifter.

You then pour the inflamed shot over a shot of Kahlua in a rocks glass (I like to put an ice cube or two in with the Kahlua … we are pouring liquid fire on it after all).

Keeping your empty snifter upside-down from the pour, place it immediately on a coaster (this is to trap the fumes left from the burning alcohol).

At this point the action-sequence is over, we’re done playing with fire, and it’s time to celebrate!

Drink your new shot that’s 50/50 Gran Marnier and Kahlua; it’s incredibly sweet with a small bite. And finally, we’re left with that upside down snifter.

THE UPSIDE DOWN SNIFTER:

The Richard Pryor was definitely unlike any shot I’ve ever done and it’s all about that upside down snifter.

I’ve heard about alcohol vapor/fume bars in Europe where they super-heat alcohol and allow you to breathe in the vapors, delivering the alcohol to your blood via your lungs.

This is much much faster than allowing it to absorb from your digestive system, so the effect is an immediate buzz.

It’s the same principle with the Gran Marnier, the snifter, and the coaster. There are fumes left from that fire, and we trap them. So the final step is simple: INHALE.

Keeping the coaster over the opening, lift your snifter toward you, crack the coaster away a bit, and breath in the sweet intoxicating fumes of all your hard work and shot preparation. It’s an interesting taste and sensation.

The drunk isn’t quite immediate as you’d expect; breathing in carries a warm tingle into your lungs then a slight buzz to your head as if you’d been huffing alcohol fumes (because you just were).

DO’s AND DON’Ts:

My bartending buddy who told me about this one had tried it at a smaller wedding reception/party. When I got around to it, I did it at my place with a few friends.

I would definitely recommend saving this affair for less crowded and more controlled scenes.

A lot of bars won’t mess with fire in the first place, and while it WILL draw attention and attract those interested in partaking in the festivities, it’s a little too involved for big-crowds (busy bartenders will hate you and you probably won’t have ample prep space).

I’d also recommend not using this one as your last shot of the night.

When you inhale alcohol, it will spike your Blood Alcohol Content pretty quick, which is nothing you want to do after you’ve been spiking your BAC all night already. Try it earlier in your night (or day) of drinking.

I haven’t seen anyone do more than 3 or 4 and would definitely recommend 1 or 2. It’s a novel shot, not a go-to. Try it, bond over the experience, and enjoy your night.

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