History of the B-52 Cocktail

It’s a common mistake in histories of the B-52 cocktail to say that it was named after the B-52 bomber, but it was in fact named after the American band, the B-52s.

The band wasn’t named after the bomber either. The band was formed in 1976 and they took their name from a beehive hairstyle of the time, which people thought resembled the nose-cone of the B-52 bomber.

Who Invented the B-52?

Having clarified the business about the name, who came up with it? The answer is Peter Fich, who was head bartender at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada. Fich liked to name his cocktail creations after his favorite bands, songs, or albums, and in 1977, when he came up with the recipe, one of those bands was The B-52s.

Some stories about the history of the B-52 say that it was in fact created at the Keg Steakhouse in Calgary, Alberta. However, that story only came about because one of Fich’s regular customers, who was a fan of the B-52, owned several restaurants in Canada, including the Keg Steakhouse, and he put it on the menu there and at other places. And so the cocktail’s fame started to spread.

An Alternative History of the B-52

There are also stories which claim that the drink was first made in the famous Alice’s Restaurant in Malibu, California, in 1972, and therefore was named after the bomber and not the band.

This story can also get confusing, as this Alice’s Restaurant was not the one that inspired the Arlo Guthrie song (and later film), and the restaurant that did inspire the song wasn’t called Alice’s Restaurant at all. It was called The Back Room and was run by Alice May. It was Guthrie’s song that the other restaurant, which used to be on the end of Malibu Pier, named itself after. These days they’d definitely get sued.

Dale DeGroff in his book The Essential Cocktail says that the claim that the B-52 was invented in Malibu ‘is unsupported by either fact or anyone at the restaurant.’ So there, let’s stick with Fich theory.

What is a B-52 Cocktail?

Many cocktails look good but the B-52 is outstanding, with its three differently colored layers of liqueurs one on top of the other. The effect is achieved by slowly and carefully pouring the second and third layers into the glass over the back of a bar spoon, so as not to disturb the liquid underneath.

B-52 Recipe

The B-52 is made up of equal amounts (usually 2cl) of coffee liqueur, cream liqueur, and an orange liqueur, for the triple-layer effect. The ones that are normally used are the ones that are most common, like Kahlua for the coffee, Bailey’s for the cream, and Grand Marnier or Cointreau for the orange. Usually you use a shot glass but the drink also looks attractive in other glasses, including a sherry glass. It’s mostly enjoyed as a nightcap.