Updated August 2026.
The best shot to order at a bar is one the well can actually make: a 1.5-ounce tequila or whiskey, a lemon drop, a kamikaze, or a green tea. Those use vodka, whiskey, citrus, and a liqueur almost every US bar already has. A 1.5-ounce pour of 80-proof spirits is one US standard drink. This is an ordering guide, not a ranking and not a dare.
Well shots a bartender can pour tonight
| Order | Usual well build | About how much 80-proof | US standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight tequila or mezcal | 1.5 oz blanco; salt and lime optional | 1.5 oz | 1.0 |
| Whiskey shot | 1.5 oz bourbon or rye | 1.5 oz | 1.0 |
| Lemon drop | Vodka, lemon, simple, sugar rim | ~1–1.5 oz vodka | ~0.7–1.0 |
| Kamikaze | Vodka, triple sec, lime | ~1–1.5 oz vodka plus liqueur | ~1 |
| Green tea | Irish whiskey, peach schnapps, sour, splash of soda | ~0.75–1 oz whiskey plus schnapps | often ~1; ask the pour |
| White tea | Same as green tea, vodka instead of whiskey | ~0.75–1 oz vodka plus schnapps | often ~1 |
| Washington apple | Whiskey, apple liqueur, cranberry | ~1 oz plus liqueur | ~1 |
| Pickleback | Whiskey, pickle-brine chaser | 1.5 oz | 1.0 (the brine is not a drink) |
| Boilermaker | Whiskey shot beside a beer | 1.5 oz plus a beer | ~2 if the beer is 12 oz at 5% |
| Fireball, if they have the bottle | Chilled cinnamon whisky, one pour | 1.5 oz of whatever is in that bottle | Read the neck; grocery malt versions are weaker |
| Fernet or a Ferrari | 1 oz fernet, or 50/50 fernet and Campari if both bottles are there | varies | bartender shot, not a ranking |
A US shot is 1.5 fluid ounces (about 44 mL), the same pour NIAAA and CDC use for one standard drink of 40% spirits. Utah meters that 1.5 ounces by law. Other states leave it to the house. Ask if you care. See how many mL is a shot.
What Toast, Spruce Eats, VinePair, and Liquor.com answer that a numbered list hides
Toast still publishes a “Top 10” that puts tequila, vodka, lemon drop, and kamikaze next to a Jägerbomb, a B-52, sambuca, Fireball, and two drinks with loaded names. Spruce Eats treats lemon drop, kamikaze, pickleback, Washington apple, and a boilermaker as bartender staples — and already renamed the Irish dropped-stout as an Irish slammer. VinePair’s dive-bar guide and 2025 bartender roundup keep green tea as the on-premise workhorse, add white tea as the vodka swap, and treat a Ferrari (equal-parts Fernet-Branca and Campari) and a boilermaker as real orders, not listicle filler. Liquor.com prints the Ferrari as a ¾-ounce-plus-¾-ounce shot. None of that makes any of them “#1.” We will not invent a ranking or a mixologist quote.
White tea is the same peach-and-sour template as green tea with vodka in place of Irish whiskey. Order it only if you want that drink. A boilermaker is a shot plus a beer, so it is two drinks if the beer is a 12-ounce 5% pint. Count both. See how many shots it takes to get drunk — math, not a challenge.
What to skip, or order with your eyes open
Energy-drink bombs. Still on Toast’s list. Caffeine does not sober you up; it can make you feel less tired while the alcohol count climbs. If you order one, count the Jägermeister plus whatever else is in the glass.
Layered B-52s and anything nicknamed after a drug. They are sweet, slow to build on a packed well, and easy to lose count on. Toast’s “liquid cocaine” is Goldschläger, Jägermeister, and peppermint schnapps. Spruce Eats uses Jäger, Goldschläger, and Rumple Minze for the same nickname. Conflict — unused as a recipe. Do not order it because of the name. It does not mimic a controlled substance.
House mystery shots and dropped-stout “car bombs.” Fine if you trust the bar and the name does not bother the room. You are drinking whatever is in the well pour, at whatever volume they used.
How to order without being a problem
- Name the drink and the spirit (“lemon drop, well vodka is fine”).
- Do not snap, clap, or chant at a packed service well.
- One round at a time. A tray of eight green teas is a math problem, not a personality.
- Water between rounds.
- If the bartender says they do not make it, pick from the table. That is the point of a well shot.
Standard-drink reminder
Four 1.5-ounce shots of 80-proof liquor are four standard drinks. NIAAA calls four drinks in about two hours a binge pattern for women, five for men. That is a warning line, not a menu. Mixers, liqueurs, and a beer back add alcohol you did not count. For bottle math at home, see shots in a 750ml bottle.
The 2026 well did not invent a secret healthy shot. Ethanol is still 14 grams per 1.5 ounces of 80 proof. Order the simple one, then stop.
Sources
- NIAAA What Is a Standard Drink? (updated December 2025): 1.5 oz of 40% spirits = 14 g / 0.6 fl oz = 1 US standard drink; 12 oz beer at 5% = 1 drink.
- CDC standard-drink sizes (reviewed December 12, 2024): same 1.5 oz / 80-proof line.
- Utah Code § 32B-5-304: 1.5 oz primary liquor (metered).
- Toast On the Line “Best Shots To Order At A Bar”: tequila, vodka, Jägerbomb, kamikaze, lemon drop, B-52, Irish Car Bomb, sambuca, Fireball, Liquid Cocaine — a ranked list we will not copy.
- The Spruce Eats bartender staples: lemon drop, kamikaze, pickleback, Washington apple, boilermaker; Irish slammer rename.
- VinePair Essential Shot Guide + 2025 bartender roundup: green tea / white tea (vodka swap); Ferrari = Fernet + Campari; boilermaker = whiskey + beer.
- Liquor.com Ferrari shot: ¾ oz Campari + ¾ oz Fernet-Branca. Brand ABV tiles unused this run.