Irish Carbomb

Pour Bailey's, Kahlua and Jamesons' in order in a shot glass (Bailey's at the bottom). Drop or slide the shot into a half pint of Guinness Stout. The shot, if dropped in carefully, looks like a Guinness inside a Guinness. The Carbomb is to be consumed in one long swallow. Mind your teeth as the shot slides forward. The incredible taste is worth the risk.

An Irish Carbomb is perhaps one of the oddest drinks ever concocted. Also called a Peacemaker, an IRA car bomb, a Belfast carbomb, or just plain carbomb, this drink contains a strange pairing of alcoholic beverages that people either love or hate.

If you’ve never had one, an Irish carbomb is actually a boilermaker that contains stout, Irish Cream, and an Irish whiskey of your choice. To make it, the stout is placed in a glass, while the whiskey is layered on top of the Irish cream in a shot glass. The shot glass is dropped into the glass of stout, and the whole drink is quickly consumed before the beer can curdle the cream. The concoction isn’t the only thing that’s odd. To some, the drink’s name may sound festive and fun, and the perfect drink for paying tribute to Irish Heritage on holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day. However, it is actually a homage to a horrific event that occurred on July 21, 1972.

Also known as Bloody Friday, the unfortunate day consisted of 22 car bombs that were unleashed by the IRA, or Irish Republican Army, on Northern Ireland. Both parties were quite damaged by the bombings. The day will always be remembered as one of the worst in history, so it seems rather strange that a drink would be dubbed an Irish carbomb since many would rather forget the day than celebrate with a libation.