When the hero downed his drink in one swallow and slammed his shot glass on the bar in those old Western movies, it usually meant trouble for the bad guys. But these days, the drinkers downing the shots are young professionals and college-age adults, and the only trouble they are looking for is a good time.

Shots — also called shooters, slammers or tooters — can be made with almost any spirit and mixer, and their popularity is due in part to the fact that they are fairly low in alcohol content and small enough in size — usually about one ounce of liquor — to greatly limit the amount of alcohol consumed in a single drink. Their potential for profit, however, is anything but small.

From a simple, straight shot of tequila or whiskey, shooters evolved through the years with innovations such as the Boiler Maker, a shot of whiskey dropped into a glass of beer. Eventually, bartenders began making layered shooters such as the B52, made with Kahlúa, Bailey's Irish Cream and Grand Marnier. With the recent explosion of flavorful spirits, imaginative bartenders are experimenting with combinations from the exotic to just plain wild.

Soaring Sales

At the Falcon's Nest bar located in Florida's Amelia Island Plantation resort, business men and women from across the country wind down from convention seminars and meetings by augmenting their normal cocktails with some of the bar's popular shooters, says Kathy Donnelley, manager of Falcon's Nest. “Shooters represent about 30 percent of our total drink sales,” she says.

With names reflecting the bar's aeronautic theme — B-52, 747, Rocket Launcher, Jumbo Jet, etc. — the shooters are priced from $5 to $7.

“Our most popular shooters are the 747 and the Rocket Launcher,” Donnelley says.

The 747 is a combination of Stoli vodka and Kahlúa with a splash of soda, and the Rocket Launcher basically is the Falcon's Nest version of an Irish Car Bomb. The bartender fills a mug with a half-pint of Guinness and a shot glass with a third ounce each of Kahlúa, Bailey's Irish Cream and Jameson Irish Whiskey. The customer drops the shot glass into the mug and chugs it down.

Using premium products in the shooters is essential, Donnelley says, because customers invariably compare your shots with those of other venues. “We have convention and conference guests from all over the country and they will ask servers what kind of shooters we do here,” Donnelley says. “Sales come mainly from my servers pushing the drinks.”

Most of the Falcon's Nest drinks are served in regular shot glasses but their newest addition to the shooter menu — the Jager Bomb — comes in a specialty glass shaped like an hourglass. “You put your mixer on the bottom and then your liqueur (Jägermeister) floats on top,” she says.

Priced to Sell

At the Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in Colorado Springs, Colo., shooters are priced from $5 to $8 with the top seller being the Melon Ball, a rollicking combination of Absolut vodka, Midori Melon liqueur and orange juice.

“The shooters are definitely a favorite of the younger crowd,” says General Manager Tate Leisy. “Shooters are not sophisticated like a cocktail, they are more laid back.”

But more laid back does not translate into less profitable. Even when they are bargain priced, shooters can pull plenty of profits, says Angelique Contreras, who works at Big Al's Oyster Bar inside The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. That bar features about five shooters, all priced at $3 each.

“The most popular are the Bloody Mary shooters,” she says. “It's like a regular Bloody Mary but it is served in a shot glass with an oyster in it.

We get a little bit of every age that tries these — young, old — people who want to try something different will try these.”

And when one person tries one, it's a chain reaction, says Cindy Busi, beverage manager for Hard Rock Cafés Worldwide. “Shooters are definitely celebratory-type drinks,” she says. “They are drinks that are shared amongst a group, so you don't usually see someone order a glass of wine and then their partner order just a shooter. They are usually done with multiple orders with three or more people.”

Most shooters are ordered by customers in the 24- to 35-year-old age range, Busi says, roughly the same demographic as the flavored Martinis. And they have become so popular with Hard Rock's patrons, the miniature drinks are listed on the venue's core menu.

“We have six shooters on our menu, and our best seller is the Cran-A-Kaze (Absolut Vodka, Triple Sec, Rose's Lime juice and cranberry juice), served in a two-ounce cordial glass, which is just a real tall shot glass,” Busi says. . “Fruity shooters are more popular all around. After the Cran-A-Kaze, our Lemon Drop shooters are hot sellers.”