We at OnMilwaukee.com encourage responsible drinking. We recommend designated drivers and knowing when to say "when."

That said, our editorial staff isn't above a well-timed shot every once in a while. And when we need to make that 1.5 ounces of hard liquor count, here's what we pick. Please add your own favorite shot using the Talkback feature below.

Molly Snyder Edler
Staff Writer

Whiskey. I like all kinds: single malt, vatted malt, single grain, blended, Irish, Canadian, bourbon, rye, etc. I can't drink copious amounts of whiskey anymore (the hangovers are too brutal), but when given the opportunity to throw back a little shot of the stuff, I'm all for it. If I were forced to pick one as my favorite, I would go with Jameson ... or Jim Beam rye ... or Maker's Mark ... or maybe Jack ...

Julie Lawrence
Staff Writer

If we're talking about simple, spur-of-the-moment shot slamming, I'll take a smooth, clear ounce or two of El Patron or an equally-minded premium tequila any day of the year. If we're looking to really make an event out of it, I have to admit that I enjoy the occasional multi-layer affairs that involve dropping a shot glass of some kind of liquor into a pint glass of some kind of beer. Favorites include the famous Irish Car Bomb (half shot of Bailey's Irish Crème and half shot of Jameson dropped into a glass of Guinness), Lunchbox (shot of Amaretto dropped into a pilsner beer and topped with orange juice) and the totally ridiculous Jager Bomb (shot of Jager dropped into a glass of Red Bull).

Drew Olson
Senior editor

If it's happened once, it's happened three dozen times with old friends, new acquaintances, the guy who just spilled a beer on your shoe ... It doesn't matter. Someone will get the bright idea "Let's do a shot." You say, "OK." And then, the question: "What should we do?" followed by a long, confused pause. You don't want to seem wimpy or cheap. But, you might not want to down a glass of rot-gut, either. In short, shots are such a conundrum that it's almost easier to decline the offer.

Like many, I went through an early Kamikaze phase. But, too many of those were badly made. Asking for a chilled Stoli is solid, but a bit boring. It's easy to just say "Cuervo," but now that my palate is a bit more educated, I realize that there are MUCH better tasting tequilas out there. For awhile, the answer was "Jagermeister." That's still a pretty solid choice. You keep your street cred, because cool guys like Dave Grohl drink it, but I find it tastes a bit too much like cough syrup.

If you asked me to name a favorite "foofy" shot, I'd go with the Lemon Drop, because I always loved those lemon candies as a kid. But, I've found that the best possible answer to the "What do you want?" question is a simple "Jameson." It's cool. It's classic. It's smooth, and it warms you up on cold winter nights, sort of like your favorite wool sweater. It'll never go out of style.

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