Don’t order a cocktail at the bar — try a ‘baby drink’ instead

Gen X and millennials reading this will agree that downing tiny glasses of high proof booze was part of our formative introduction to night life. Right?

If we weren’t grimacing after knocking back sticky shots of Sambuca, Jägarmeister or dreaded Aftershock, we were white knuckling the bar after seeing off a neat 25ml measure of tequila or vodka.

The shots themselves were one-note, didn’t require any skill by the barperson and left us with an aftertaste of regret and poor decision making in the morning. Ahh, the noughties…

Well, now the abstemious Gen Z crowd have brought back the shot (which actually never disappeared on my watch – I drink them regularly on my YouTube show, Shoot Your Shot), albeit with a twist. They’re enjoying ‘baby’ versions of their favourite cocktails, which are also known as ‘shooters’.

While a shot is made up of just one spirit, a shooter is comprised of multiple components – it’s essentially the equivalent of an amuse bouche in a high-class eatery. Young drinkers are now looking for experiences that offer complexity and high-quality ingredients, without the commitment of a full-sized cocktail. Like speed-dating for their taste buds, basically.

Though fresh and innovative, these baby drinks aren’t a completely original concept, with their roots in a tradition called, ‘the bartender’s handshake’. It’s a ritual that involves bartenders making small, complimentary drinks for their mates in the industry, which are quick to prepare but simultaneously show off their mixology skills.

Like many food and drink trends, baby cocktails have been driven over from the US, and recently started cropping up at established London hotspots like Blue Bar at The Berkeley Hotel which is offering flights of 35cl martinis. Likewise, East London It-bar Tayēr + Elementary’s ‘One Sip Martini’ has proved so popular, it has its own line of merch.

In fact, so popular have dinky format drinks become, that the latest data, courtesy of Paragon Brands, shows that out of 2,000 respondents included in their survey, 63% said they would rather have tiny versions of their favourite drink or cocktails. For Gen Z, it’s to do with the taste and drinking less, but interestingly, a third of the millennial 35–44-year-old bracket said they would buy them specifically to post on Instagram, which definitely checks out.

And get this, on a night out nearly 70% of Gen Z choose to drink shots, which is way over the national average (34%). Within that, Londoners are prepared to spend £3.36 per shot, the national average being £2.63 for context.

With all that in mind here are a few top-tier baby tipples to try:

Baby Guinness

Baby Guinness has a lot to answer for as the genesis of the micro cocktail, popping onto the scene in the shot-happy 80s or 90s. It is a layered, two-ingredient shot, made of coffee liqueur and a ‘foam’ layer of Irish cream. There’s absolutely no beer in it, though it looks strikingly like its namesake. Fun fact, it’s a favourite of Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s football star boyfriend, who tried it in Dublin during the Eras tour in summer 2024.

Pro Tip: Like pouring a Guinness, there’s an art to layering the foam, which should be done, slowly, over the back of a teaspoon.

Mar-tiny

These swap the standard 75ml Martini for a 35ml dinky equivalent, sometimes garnished with a massive olive for a truly jarring perspective. This means that you can have more than a couple without losing the ability to function as a human being. The pocket-sized format also ensures the temperature remains cold, not lukewarm which can be the case with the larger format. Like an hors d’oeuvre, shrinking the drink allows for experimentation without the risk, like vodka and horseradish or a tequila-based version.

Pro Tip: Buy a perfume diffuser from Amazon and fill with dry white vermouth. Spritz over your mar-tiny to taste.

Snaquiri

The downsized Daiquiri is the ‘Snaquiri’, conceptualised and named by a US barman Karin Stanley of New York bar, Dutch Kills. This started as a bartender’s handshake, a diminutive Daiquiri served to friends of the staff or favoured guests. They even had something called, ‘Snaquiri time-out’, where the staff would take five minutes off working to relax and enjoy the shot. Its components are still rum, fresh lime juice and sugar syrup, but the ratio is 15ml, 5ml and 5ml, shake with ice, strain into a mini glass and garnish with a sliver of lime.

Pro Tip: Store the shot glasses in the freezer for ultimate refresh-factor.

Twinsies Tequila con Sangrita

This isn’t a cocktail, it’s a twin drink served in separate shot glasses: one with blanco tequila, the other containing a concoction called ‘sangrita’, which isn’t a Bloody Mary but looks like one. The accompanying, cooling, red, gazpacho-esque smoothie is made from tomato juice, orange juice, fresh lime juice, tabasco and salt. The idea is to sip the tequila and chase it with a balancing sip of the tomatoey sangrita. Think of it as the health and wellness version of just necking neat tequila. They drink this in Mexico, obviously, which is where I first sipped it.

Pro Tip: Swap tequila for Mezcal, if you’re into a smokier sip.

Pocket Piña Corona

The Piña Corona was doing the viral rounds on TikTok last summer. Well, we’re nearly in spring, so it’s time for the shrunken version. It’s made by pouring out half a bottle of Corona (or drinking it), topping it up with white rum, a dollop of coconut milk and a splash of pineapple juice. Mix them together by placing your thumb over the bottle opening and gently turning it upside down. Then pour it into shot glasses, garnished with a small wedge of fresh lime.

Pro Tip: You can just use Malibu instead of white rum and coconut juice.

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