A Beer and a Shot

Do you really need instructions for this? Of course not. But I’ve heard more than one bar regular refer to a beer and a shot, with tongue in cheek, as his or her favorite “cocktail.” The classic combo of a beer (on draft or in a bottle) and a shot of whiskey is also often called a boilermaker, but some will insist that it’s only a boilermaker if the whiskey is added directly to the beer. I’d rather keep the components separate, thanks, and, in keeping with venerable dive-bar tradition, I’ll take mine with very cold beer that doesn’t demand much from the palate (usually a lager) and bottom-shelf bourbon.