There’s definitely something refined and elegant about enjoying your favourite spirits in miniature. While shooters haven’t always been associated with decadence, mixology seems to be following food down the nouvelle cuisine route, as the tiny drinks are becoming the height of haute bois. Shedding their unsavoury reputation and donning the garb of ‘posh shots’, the miniature cocktails are beginning to scuttle their way out of nightclubs and onto the most splendid of dinner tables. Washed down with a starter or sweetening up a dessert, these tempting tasters are the perfect way to boost your culinary credentials.

Here at Puff, we’re always looking to keep you ahead of the crowd, so we’ve put together a selection of our favourite shots, both classic and contemporary, to get your next dinner party off to a flying start. All you have to do is peruse the list to get your creative juices flowing, and find these much-loved shooters the perfect culinary pairing...

Shooter 1: Jim Dandy

Great with a coffee-based dessert, or as an indulgent aperitif, the Jim Dandy shooter is a creamy concoction made up of Tia Maria, White Chocolate Liqueur and Baileys. The spirits are layered upon one another in equal measures to fill the shot glass, creating a simple, sweet, sensational shooter, which looks just as good as it tastes.

Shooter 2: The Illusionist

Created by TV chef Andrew Nutter, this shooter was designed to accompany an unusual take on a bread and butter pudding involving a meringue and fresh fruit twist. It’s an oxymoron of a cocktail, mixing fresh, fruity flavours with creamy, bitter liqueurs for an ultra-modern take on the classic shooter. Andrew’s recipe uses equal combinations of coffee liqueur, melon liqueur and Irish cream liqueur poured into a shot glass in that order to create three separate layers.

PUFF’S TOP SHOOTER TIP: To create straight, clean lines between each layer of liqueur, pour it into the shot glass over the back of a teaspoon!

Shooter 3: The Cupid Shooter

Unquestionably a desert shooter, this pudding-come-cocktail was designed by chef Maria Elia. To make it, you need to stir 50ml of Kirsch, 25ml of Frangelico and half a teaspoon of cherry compote together in a small container. Pour the mixture into a shot glass, and top with a squirt of whipped cream, and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over the top to serve.

Shooter 4: Traffic Light

An old favourite, the Traffic Light is the perfect shooter for Fall. You could use it as an appetiser to get your dinner party going, or pair it with caramel apples and pumpkin pie for a seasonal desert. To make this colourful shooter, take 5ml of amaretto, 5ml melon liqueur and 10ml of cranberry liqueur. Layer the ingredients into a shot glass in the same order to create a warm, fruity shooter to help shake off the winter blues.