Equipment
- 3-ounce shot glass
Ingredients
- 1 oz Butterscotch schnapps
- 1 oz Spiced rum
Instructions
Pour the Base:
- In a 3-ounce shot glass, measure and pour 1 oz of butterscotch schnapps.
Add the Kick:
- Top the schnapps with 1 oz of spiced rum.
Savor the Blend:
- Enjoy your Burt Reynolds shot immediately, and let the smooth and spicy flavors linger.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Burt Reynolds is a 2010s American party shot, named for the moustache rather than the man. The recipe is bar-back simple: equal pours of butterscotch schnapps and spiced rum, served in a shot glass and slammed. It started showing up on Florida and Las Vegas pool-bar menus around 2012 and travelled out from there.
It belongs to the same two-ingredient shot family as the Buttery Nipple, the Cocksucking Cowboy, and the Mind Eraser. The format is what matters: two bottles you already have on the back bar, equal pours, no shaker, no fuss. It is a party shot, not a sipping spirit. The spiced rum (Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, any house brand) gives it the moustachioed swagger the name promises.
What it tastes like
Butterscotch caramel up front, vanilla and cinnamon spice in the middle, a soft rum finish. Sweet but not cloying, the spice from the rum stops it from drinking like candy.
The two flavours layer naturally because the schnapps brings the burnt-sugar sweetness and the spiced rum brings the heat. Together the shot reads like an alcoholic Werther’s Original with a kick.
The technique
Pour equal parts butterscotch schnapps and spiced rum into a shot glass. One ounce each. Stir once with a barspoon, or layer the rum on top by floating it slowly over the back of an inverted spoon. Slammed in one.
Bottles can be at room temperature, the shot does not need a freezer chill. Layering is optional and only worth it for the photo. A straight pour and stir takes ten seconds, which is the whole appeal.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottle that does the talking.
Spiced Rum
- Use
- Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, or Kraken (any decent dark spiced rum)
- Skip
- Plain dark rum (loses the spice backbone), white rum (becomes a pure-butterscotch shot), flavoured rums (coconut, mango, pineapple all fight the schnapps)
- Why
- The vanilla, cinnamon and clove notes line up perfectly with the butterscotch schnapps, and the 35 percent ABV gives the shot enough kick to feel like a shot.
Butterscotch Schnapps
- Use
- Buttershots (bar standard) or DeKuyper Buttershots
- Try
- Salted caramel Baileys for a softer profile
- Why
- The schnapps does the sweet half. Cheap brands work because the spiced rum carries the back of the drink. Both bottles room-temperature is fine.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
Dressed-Up
- Burt Reynolds Layered
- Pour the schnapps first, float the spiced rum slowly over the back of a barspoon. Two amber layers, slightly different shades, looks like a Bourbon Smash in miniature.
Hot Version
- Hot Burt Reynolds
- Same proportions stirred into half a cup of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick. Drinks like a butterscotch hot toddy.
Party Version
- Burt Reynolds Tray
- Multiply by twelve, build in a measuring jug, pour into a shot tray. The fastest way to set up a round.
What if I don’t have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Caramel liqueur (Salted Caramel Baileys, Caravella Caramel) is the closest swap. Buttershots is the bar standard if you want the classic flavour.
Dark rum plus a pinch of ground cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract. Bourbon works in a pinch but pushes the shot into whiskey territory.
A small rocks glass or a 30ml measuring cup. The shot does not lose anything in a wider vessel because there is no layering to ruin.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Burt Reynolds shot?
One ounce of butterscotch schnapps and one ounce of spiced rum. Combined in a shot glass, served chilled or at room temperature.
How do you make a Burt Reynolds shot?
Pour equal parts butterscotch schnapps and spiced rum into a shot glass. Stir once with a barspoon, or layer the rum on top by floating it over the back of an inverted spoon. Slammed in one.
What does a Burt Reynolds shot taste like?
Butterscotch caramel up front, vanilla and cinnamon spice in the middle, a soft rum finish. Sweet but not cloying, the spice from the rum stops it from drinking like candy.
Is the Burt Reynolds shot strong?
Yes. Both ingredients are 30 to 35 percent ABV, which puts the shot around 24 percent. It drinks easier than the proof suggests because the butterscotch hides the alcohol.
Where did the Burt Reynolds shot get its name?
American party-bar culture in the 2010s. The amber colour and the spiced rum kick line up with the moustachioed Burt Reynolds image. The name is the marketing.
Why do they call it a Burt Reynolds shot?
The amber-on-amber colour and the spiced-rum swagger. No connection to Burt Reynolds the actor beyond the visual joke.
Can you batch a Burt Reynolds shot?
Yes. Multiply by the number of guests, mix in a measuring jug, pour into a shot tray. Best within an hour before the schnapps starts settling.
How many calories are in a Burt Reynolds shot?
Around 130 calories per shot. The butterscotch schnapps carries the sugar, the spiced rum adds another 60 or so.
What kind of spiced rum works best?
A standard dark spiced rum like Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry or Kraken. Avoid coconut, mango, or other flavoured rums. The clove and cinnamon notes are the point.
Can I make a Burt Reynolds shot without alcohol?
Roughly. Mix butterscotch syrup with cold-brewed black tea and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Tastes close enough to pass at a dinner party. The kick is gone.
Why the Burt Reynolds works (and how to nail it)
Two ingredients, looks easy, screwed up 9 times out of 10. The technique matters.
The technique
Pour the butterscotch schnapps first, into a cold shot glass straight from the freezer. The cold viscosity is what holds the layer. Float the spiced rum on top using the back of a bar spoon held against the glass wall – the slow trickle prevents the rum from punching through the schnapps.
The result: two distinct layers, gold below, amber on top. The Dr Pepper taste happens when you drink it – the layers mix in your mouth and the butterscotch + spiced rum combination hits the same sweet-and-spicy notes as the soda.
Brand picks
Butterscotch schnapps: Use DeKuyper Buttershots. The cheaper Buttery Nipple branded versions are too sugar-syrupy and lose the buttery edge. Skip 99 Bananas – banana schnapps does not work here despite what some recipes claim.
Spiced rum: Captain Morgan Original Spiced is the bartender default for this exact shot. Sailor Jerry hits harder (92 proof vs 70) but the higher ABV cuts the butterscotch sweetness and dilutes the Dr Pepper note. If you want a richer version, Kraken Black Spiced gives it a deeper colour.
Common mistakes
Room temperature butterscotch. Schnapps at room temp is too thin to layer. The rum sinks through within seconds. Five minutes in the freezer before pouring fixes it.
Fast rum pour. The bar-spoon technique is non-negotiable. Direct pour from the bottle gives you a muddy brown shot, not the gold-and-amber layered look that makes the drink Instagram-worthy.
Using whisky instead of spiced rum. Some sites swap in bourbon or Irish whiskey. Neither hits the Dr Pepper note – the vanilla and clove in spiced rum is what makes the flavour profile work.
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