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I Am the Boilermaker
No, I am not the Purdue University mascot
Call me Boilermaker.
Jerry Lewis spoke of me in one of his movies — “Give me a boilermaker,” he said, “and cool it on the boil.”
I am the most simple of drinks. A shot of whiskey and a tall glass of cold beer. Drop the shot into the beer and empty the glass, all of it.
Nothing better.
According to Wikipedia, I originate in Butte, Montana. It was the British who began referring to me as a “Boilermaker.”
There are other variations of my name, but consistently, I am beer and whiskey. I have only had regular beer and an American whiskey. Never have I tried say, a Guiness stout, and a shot of Irish whiskey.
Sarah Rense wrote of me like this in Esquire:
“The first asks you to slam a shot of whiskey then drink a beer, while the second has you dunking your shot of whiskey into your beer, then chugging that…Then, like…a bucket of cold water to the face, you’re feeling more alive than you did however long it took you to down the beer ago. The alcohol is only a part of it. The physicality of a Boilermaker — that vigorous arm motion, the slamming of the glassware, that gasp for air afterwards — is what gets you flying.”
This is me.
This what I do to you. People love me.
Next time you are in a bar, a club, a speakeasy, or hell, at home with your crew, buy some cold beer and a bottle of good whiskey. Clean out your shot glasses. Get to boiling.
Then cut on that song by Loverboy and start dancing around the room like a crazy person singing — ‘Everybody’s working for the weekend.’ You know that song —
Here’s the link — Working For the Weekend
