The Nutty Mexican: The Peanut Butter Tequila Shot You Didn’t Know You Needed

Recently, I came across a bottle of peanut butter tequila called Maní Ball.

This is not a paid promotion. I wish it were, but it’s not. 

The first thing I noticed was that it tastes almost exactly like Screwball, which is basically the peanut butter whiskey that started this whole weird peanut-butter-liquor universe.

Now, listen. If you want to sit at a bar and drink peanut butter liquor straight up, be my guest.

But me? Yuuck.

I needed to find something better to do with it.

And somehow, I did.

I accidentally made a really good shot

I started experimenting with the Maní Ball, trying to figure out what flavors would actually work with it. Eventually, I landed on a combination that was so simple that I almost didn’t take it seriously.

Peanut butter tequila.

Kahlúa.

That’s it.

I started making it for people at the bar, and I noticed something pretty quickly:

People fucking love it.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that roughly 9 out of 10 people who have tried this shot have loved it.

Of course, there’s always that one person.

You know who you are.

Why I love mixed shots

I have a thing for asking people if they want shots.

But I’m not talking about pouring a shot of tequila, whiskey, or vodka and telling someone to throw it back.

I like mixed shots.

There’s something fun about them. People hear the word shot and immediately assume they’re about to get fucked up, but a well-made mixed shot doesn’t necessarily have to be that intense.

This one is basically a small cocktail.

Think of it as a cocktail sample with the energy of a shot.

And that’s what I like about them.

My job behind the bar isn’t just to serve alcohol. It’s to help people have a good time. Sometimes that means making someone a great cocktail. Sometimes it means convincing a table to do a random little shot together and giving them something they’ll remember.

The Nutty Mexican is perfect for that.

The recipe is ridiculously simple:

1 part peanut butter tequila1 part Kahlúa

For one shot:

● 1 oz peanut butter tequila

● 1 oz Kahlúa

Add both ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake well.

Strain into a shot glass.

And that’s it.

The peanut butter tequila gives you that sweet, nutty flavor, while the Kahlúa brings the coffee and chocolate notes. Together, they taste less like two random liquors thrown into a glass and more like a tiny dessert cocktail.

Which, let’s be honest, is probably why people like it so much.