The Cellar
Oyster Shooter Recipe
Savory, festive, and just the right amount of boozy, an oyster shooter is the ultimate party trick. It’s thought to have originated in San Francisco in the mid-1800s by a miner who first made it with whiskey.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce
- For the shooters:
- 12 shucked oysters
- 12 oz. chilled vodka
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Method
- Make the cocktail sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to taste. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
- Make the shooters: To each of 12 shot glasses, add an oyster, followed by 1–2 teaspoons of the prepared cocktail sauce and 1 ounce of the vodka. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top and serve.
This recipe calls for vodka—the clean, crisp flavor goes perfectly with zingy homemade cocktail sauce and a freshly shucked oyster. While any variety works nicely here, we’re partial to Alaskan oysters (you can order them here), which are also clean, crisp, and slightly briny from growing in the cold waters. Because you knock them back quickly, like a shot, oyster shooters are a fun way to kick off a dinner or any gathering that needs a little extra sparkle.