Though they look like a miniature pint of the famous Irish beer, these Baby Guinness Shots contain no beer at all, just coffee-flavored liqueur and a layer of Irish cream.

St. Patrick’s Day has never been one of my favorite holidays. However, I really can’t complain about Irish cuisine, like shepherd’s pie and soda bread. It’s so very good.
And can we talk about the drinks? There’s whiskey and cream liqueur. And then there’s beer. Copious amounts of beer. Stout beer, especially. And green beer, for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The first time I tried Guinness, I turned up my nose at it, so my pals ordered a round of Baby Guinness shots.
Baby Guinness Shot recipe
Made with both coffee liqueur and Irish cream liqueur, these sweet shots look just like miniature versions of the real thing, which makes them perfect for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!
The coffee liqueur is added first, mimicking the dark chocolate stout color of Guinness. Then the Irish cream liqueur gets floated on top of the coffee liqueur layer. It floats on top, just like the thick layer of foam on a real pint of Guinness.
The sweet Baby Guinness shot tastes like an Irish coffee, which is a mix of simple syrup, Irish whiskey and coffee and topped with whipped cream.

What is a Baby Guinness?
A Baby Guinness is the name given to a layered shooter recipe made with coffee liqueur and Irish cream liqueur. It is intended to be enjoyed in one shot. They make a fun after-dinner drink.
It is similar to a B-52 Shot, which has a third layer on top of Grand Marnier orange liqueur.
There are 2½ ounces of alcohol in this Baby Guinness recipe (scroll down for the ratio).

Ingredients
Most shooter recipes only contain a few ingredients. Baby Guinness Shooters require only two!
Coffee Liqueur
Kahlua and Tia Maria are two of the most famous brands for coffee liqueur out there. Patron XO Cafe is technically a coffee-flavored tequila, but it would also be great in this coffee cocktail.
But my favorite coffee liqueur is homemade. You can make it with your favorite coffee beans and either vodka or rum.
Irish Cream Liqueur
Irish cream is a sweet, creamy liqueur that packs a boozy punch. I adore it in everything from boozy whipped cream to iced coffee.
There are a number of Irish cream brands out there. Baileys Irish Cream is most common, but St. Brendan’s, Carolans and Kerrygold are others to try.
If you’d like to make this dairy-free, you can use Baileys Almande, which is their almond milk version of their liqueur. You can also try your hand at making vegan Baileys.
Also I would like to take a moment to shout out my homemade Irish cream recipe, which is honestly SO GOOD. I love making this for my husband and myself at the holidays.

How to make Baby Guinness Shots
Because it has only two ingredients, making a Baby Guinness only takes a few steps. However, there is a bartending trick you will want to learn to get it right.
- First you’ll pour Kahlua (the coffee liqueur) into your shot glass.
- Then, hold a bar spoon upside down over the shot glass. (The domed, convex side is facing up.) You can also use a teaspoon or dessert spoon.
- Slowly, pour the Irish cream over the back of a spoon, so the liqueur spills off all around the spoon. The Irish cream will float to the top.
If you don’t do the float, the Irish cream will be added too fast and will sink. Ultimately it will float to the top, but you will have to wait a while.
Variations and substitutions
Make them non-alcoholic. You can use zero-proof coffee liqueur or simply more coffee. For the Irish cream layer, I’d recommend making your own Irish cream with zero-proof whiskey.
Feeling adventurous? Try making it with your own Irish cream and coffee liqueurs.
Make them into jello shots. These Baby Guinness jello shots are the gelatin version of the real thing.
Double up and sip it. You can double this recipe and serve it in a coupe glass or rocks glass. Enjoy it as a sipping drink, not a shot, though!

More St. Patrick’s Day recipes
There are so many delicious dishes you can make for St. Paddy’s Day. The usual fare is corned beef and maybe a shamrock shake.
For dessert, I recommend Guinness Chocolate Cake. For breakfast, you can enjoy Chocolate Guinness Donuts with Irish Coffee Glaze.
And if it’s a warm March day, try a Guinness ice cream float, these layered Irish Coffee Popsicles or a refreshing Irish Mule to help you celebrate!
And if you’re looking for green cocktail recipes, make a drink with this herbal limeade or a green mimosa.
More dessert shooters recipes
Miniature drink recipes can be a lot of fun (in moderation, of course.) Try one of these delicious shooter recipes:
These birthday cake shots are made with cake mix and taste just like birthday cake!
Chocolate cake shooters are made with surprising ingredients, but still taste like chocolate cake!
Bake up some edible shot glasses and enjoy a round of chocolate chip cookie shots.
Topped with cinnamon, melktertjies are a cream liqueur that taste’s like South African milk tart.

Baby Guinness Shots
ingredients
- ¾ ounces coffee liqueur such as Kahlua
- ¼ ounce Irish cream liqueur such as Baileys
instructions
- In a shot glass, pour Kahlua to fill approximately ¾ of the glass.
- Hold a spoon upside down just over the shot glass. Gently, pour Baileys over the spoon, allowing it to float on top of the Kahlua.
notes
recommended products
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Courtney says
‘Cause you know I LOVE me some tiny beverages! 😉
Lynn says
this suits me a lot better than beer since I haven’t developed a taste for beer!
Gérin Patricia says
I AM very interest by your receip ( Can not speak English) but i am Irish born in Belgium !!
Susannah says
Hope you love it!