The Alaskan Duck Fart: a shot with a colorful History

The origins and popularity of Alaska’s infamous three-layered shooter

The Alaskan Duck Fart seems like a disgusting shot, and its flavors may be too much for you depending on your tolerance for strong alcoholic beverages. That is accurate for a lot of shots, but this one is a complex shooter to throw back because it has three ingredients. This mixture is multilayered, for sure, but its narrative adds even more complexity to the formula.

As explained here, the Last Frontier’s (a nickname for the state of Alaska) largest sports bar, Peanut Farm, is where the drink originated, though it is unclear exactly why the drink’s name includes the phrase “duck fart.” An old patron of the business placed an order for a variety of alcoholic beverages in December 1987. She requested a straight tequila shot, a creamy Grasshopper cocktail, and a B-52, which consists of Baileys Irish cream, coffee liqueur, and Grand Marnier. The old woman’s server, Dave Schmidt, was encouraged to experiment with some more complex mixes by this.

The most popular outcome that resembles a B-52, is the Alaskan Duck Fart. At the bottom is Kahlúa coffee liqueur, followed by Baileys, and, at the senior citizen’s request, Crown Royal (instead of Grand Marnier) on top. Apart from the names, the only noticeable distinction is that the whisky is used in place of the cognac and bitter orange liqueur. But why give this amazing invention the name of a flatulence?

This is when the origin story becomes less certain. According to one theory, Dave Schmidt named his product after The Beaver State since ducks are prevalent in Oregon and there is a well-known college football team named after them. An alternative version states that the inventors just called out what was in front of them and that Schmidt’s drunken muse was wearing a duck beak (probably the hat sort).

Additionally, there is the theory that after making the shot, this customer made a noise like a fart.

In The Land of the Midnight Sun, the Alaskan Duck Fart shot has gained widespread recognition, despite its peculiar moniker. Fans of the recipe exist, obviously. It has, after all, made its way from Peanut Farm in Anchorage to other drinking establishments, such as Ernie’s Old Time Saloon in the somewhat remote Alaskan island city of Sitka. Rennie’s Landing, for example, is a college pub in Oregon where they even have a “Duck Fart” shot made with Irish cream, Kahlúa, and Pendelton whisky. Even still, we rank the drink itself among the most embarrassing whisk(e)y-based beverages you can have.