Most commonly known as a Jägerbomb – but not afraid to sneak onto cocktail menus under a couple of aliases: Jagbomb, Jägerbull or The Flying Hirsch¹ – this one-shot cocktail combines Jägermeister and the highly-caffeinated energy drink Red Bull. Jägermeister is a darkly coloured, syrupy German spirit made from a secret blend of herbs² notably including aniseed; initially it almost tastes sweet but this quickly pales in comparison to the kick of the after-taste which has caught many an unsuspecting drinker unaware.

What you'll need

Although served in a variety of ways the basic components of a Jägerbomb are reassuringly consistent. You'll need one shot of Jägermeister, a can of Red Bull energy drink and either a Jägerbomb cup³ or, more commonly, one shot glass and one larger glass (normally a half pint glass) which the shot glass fits comfortably inside.

What you do

There's no time for complicated mixing in a Jägerbomb and simplicity is the key. Firstly you need to measure out the ingredients. Into the larger glass pour half a can of Red Bull (approximately 125ml) and the shot glass should be filled with a standard shot of Jägermeister. Now you're ready to go. Immediately before drinking drop the Jägermeister (shot glass as well) into the Red Bull and then the resulting cocktail is typically downed in one drink.

Time for a little theatricality

When multiple Jägerbombs are ordered the process of mixing the cocktails becomes much more of an event. The glasses of Red Bull are lined-up side-by-side along the bar with an empty glass at one end; the shots of Jägermeister are then balanced atop and between each of the larger glasses. When ready to be served the shot glass balanced above the empty and first glass is tipped in the direction of the remaining glasses. If set up correctly this will empty the Jägermeister into the Red Bull and knock the next glass in the sequence over in a domino effect.

Why would you want to drink such a thing?

Alcohol, as we know, acts as a depressant whereas the caffeine in Red Bull has the opposite effect hyping up the drinker; in the case of Jägerbombs the effect of the caffeine overpowers the effect of the alcohol so the drinker does not seem to suffer from the normal level of drunkenness and the caffeine allows them to continue drinking until the sun rises, which always sounds better in theory than it does in practice.

Medical professionals warn against the mixture of alcohol and caffeine as it leads to faster and higher levels of dehydration, following this advice an increasing number of bars and clubs are refusing to sell this cocktail. This Researcher warns against it as it leads to the worst hangover imaginable.

A Variation

Okay so you might be comfortable with the standard Jägerbomb but are you ready to crank it up a notch?

Flaming Jägerbombs

Doing exactly what it says in the name a Flaming Jägerbomb is the standard Jägerbomb which has been set alight. Before dropping the shot of Jägermeister into the Red Bull the shot should be set alight⁴. Although the flame does theoretically burn off and reduce the alcohol content it is considerably more dangerous and practitioners of this spectacle are usually not too attached to their eyebrows.

A final word of warning

As with any and every alcoholic drink, drink Jägerbombs responsibly as no one likes a vomiting drunk.