The Cement Mixer Shot Is A Curdled Nightmare

Irish Cream is one of those liqueurs that almost everybody likes. Whether it's consumed as a beverage on its own, made into a cocktail, blended with ice cream, mixed with coffee or hot chocolate, or used to create a layered shot, the creamy, sweet liqueur is a satisfying addition to most drinks. And then you have the Cement Mixer.

Michelle Brogdon, a former bartender at Florida bar Harpoon Harry's, described the drink to Panama City New Herald as "one of the grossest drinks" a customer has ordered. "It's Baileys and lime and when you put it in your mouth it turns into a solid. I don't know why people like it," she said. The drink is constructed by either layering the lime juice and Irish Cream in a glass or putting the liqueur in your mouth and slowly drinking the lime juice, swirling them together as you do so.

Cement Mixer shots curdle in the glass the same way milk curdles when combined with vinegar. The drink got its name because the longer it sits, the more glue-like and gummy it becomes, even sticking to your teeth when you drink it. It's safe to say that whoever made this for the first time — and liked it — obviously didn't have texture issues.

There are certainly people out there who can accept curdling if it means enjoying Irish Cream with lime juice, but the majority of stories involving Cement Mixer shots revolve around people trying to gross each other out or teach annoying bar patrons a lesson. "I've had people dare their friends to drink 'cement mixers,'" commented one person on a Reddit thread about joke cocktails. "It curdles almost immediately and has disgusting flavor and texture." Another wrote, "When I was a bartender the Cement Mixer was my go-to shot whenever someone came up and said, 'Hey, it's my birthday! Do I get a free shot?!'"

The Cement Mixer even ended up on a Fox News list of disgusting shots you shouldn't order at a bar, alongside drinks like The Tapeworm, Smoker's Cough, and Black Death. But this isn't the only popular Baileys Irish Cream cocktail that's meant to be curdled: The Brain Hemorrhage is a mix of Baileys, peach Schnapps, and grenadine, and the Irish Car Bomb consists of Baileys, Guinness, and Jameson. According to Sean McClure, a mixologist at New York City's Ivory Peacock, curdled drinks are one of 10 that shouldn't be ordered at a bar, period. "They are just gross and belong in a college dorm," he told Travel + Leisure.