Blue Blazer

Name: Blue Blazer
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Andy Sewell

December 18, 2023

With a simple but showstopping build, the Blue Blazer is tailor-made for the holidays.

Even if legendary 19th-century bartender Jerry Thomas wasn’t the actual creator of the Blue Blazer cocktail—essentially a scotch hot toddy set aflame—at this point, the origin is irrelevant. Thomas will forever be associated with the drink thanks to the famous illustration depicting him, stern and mustachioed, pouring a waterfall of flames between two mugs. “He was known for these pyrotechnical theatrics,” says Amanda Schuster, drinks writer and author of the new book Signature Cocktails. “That’s kind of his signature—I mean, if you had a Jerry Thomas T-shirt, it would be that image.”

The Blue Blazer dates to the 1850s and later appeared in Thomas’ 1862 book How To Mix Drinks. But the cocktail’s initial popularity may have been short lived. Citing drinks historian David Wondrich, Schuster notes that flair bartending was already becoming passé by the 1880s, as were the inherently flammable high-proof whiskies. But with the cocktail renaissance of the 21st century and it’s adoration for the antiquated (and the prevalence of barrel-strength spirits), flaming drinks are being reignited behind bars everywhere.

With a simple but showstopping build, the Blue Blazer is tailor-made for the holidays and companionable sipping on a cold winter night because, as Schuster notes, “When you make one, you have to make two.”

Ingredients

4 oz. high-proof (50 percent ABV or higher) scotch whisky
2 barspoons Demerara or raw sugar
3 oz. boiling water, plus extra to heat mugs

Glass:heatproof mug
Garnish:lemon twist

Preparation

Preheat 2 glass toddy mugs, or other nonceramic heatproof mugs, with boiling water, then discard before proceeding. Add the whisky, sugar, and 3 oz. boiling water to one of the mugs, then carefully light the liquid within. Pass the flaming liquid between the mugs at least four or five times. Divide the liquid evenly between the mugs and, if necessary, extinguish the liquid using the bottom of the opposite mug. Garnish each with a lemon twist.

NOTEIt is important to clear the prep area of anything flammable before proceeding, and, as an added precaution, have a damp towel and perhaps a fire extinguisher at hand. Use flameproof mugs with ample handles.