I’m sorry to summer, winter, spring, and fall, but the holiday season is my favorite one of the year (followed closely by summer because I’m not snow’s biggest fan, except for a white Christmas). There’s a magic in the air in those 25 days leading up to Christmas, where spirits are high and, as Billy Mack’s original song in “Love Actually” says, “love is all around me.”
Between time spent with family and friends around the Christmas tree, around the TV, around the table, or around the kitchen counter cooking and baking, I have so many memories and traditions that I look forward to each year—and many of them revolve around food and drinks.
While so many of my traditions and go-to holiday recipes were passed down to my family by my late grandma, I have almost just as many that I share with my friends. One of my all-time favorite holiday traditions—that has seeped into an “anytime we’re together” tradition—is a two-ingredient drink recipe from my best friend’s mom.
My Best Friend’s Mom’s Mini Beers
Growing up, my parents hosted two major parties: New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl. At those parties, my best friend’s mom always brought the same two items: a bottle of Licor 43 and a squeeze bottle filled with heavy cream to make her famous Mini Beer shots. Once my friends and I turned 21 and began hosting our own holiday gathering for the moms and the girls, we brought that party tradition with us.
What Are Mini Beer Shots?
Mini Beers are a bit misleading because, unlike the name suggests, the shooter doesn’t have any beer in it, nor does it taste anything like a hoppy brew. Rather, the drink gets its name because when poured, it looks just like a tiny amber beer with a foamy head.
How To Make Mini Beers
The shooters are made with Licor 43, which is a Spanish liqueur made with 43 natural ingredients that creates a Mediterranean flavor profile that’s “citrus, botanic, sweet, and floral,” and topped with a layer of heavy cream.
When the heavy cream is poured carefully over the Licor 43, either on the back of a spoon or, as my friend’s mom always does, via a squeeze bottle (like the one you put ketchup in), the shooter layers into the perfect miniature “beer.”
There’s no real recipe for a Mini Beer; you simply fill a shot glass partway with Licor 43, then top the rest with heavy cream. We usually use an 80:20 ratio, but we always measure by eye.
As for the taste, Licor 43 describes it simply as “sweet,” and I’d agree. It’s a very pleasant, not boozy taste as the heavy cream really cuts any spicy, alcoholic flavors. Instead, it’s caramel and vanilla forward with a creamy texture.
Over the years, my friends and I have tried to order Mini Beers out at bars because it’s such a nostalgic drink for us, but we’ve quickly learned that not many people know what they are or have the ingredients to make them. So, it just makes our yearly tradition of enjoying Mini Beer shooters with our moms around Christmastime that much better.
Dining and Cooking