page_title: Flaming drink
section_title: Blue Blazer cocktail
hierarchical_section_title: Flaming drink / History / Blue Blazer cocktail
caption_attribution_description: English: Jerry Thomas, the author of the first book with cocktail recipes.
context_page_description: A flaming drink is a cocktail or other mixed drink that contains flammable, high-proof alcohol, which is ignited prior to consumption. The alcohol may be an integral part of the drink, or it may be floated as a thin layer across the top of the drink. The flames are mostly for dramatic flair. However, in combination with certain ingredients, the flavor of the drink is altered. Some flavors are enhanced, and it may impart a toasted flavor to some drinks.
  Combining fire with alcohol can be dangerous. Proper precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of both the bartender and the patrons consuming the drink. The fire should always be lit away from the area in which the patrons are located to ensure their safety. The drink should not be consumed while the flames are still burning. The drinkware may become quite hot to hold or to sip from, which could result in burns. Additionally, there is always a risk of spills or catching other items on fire, especially if the patrons are already intoxicated. Servers must carry lit shots or drinks carefully when delivering to tables. In addition, only an experienced bartender should light the given shot before serving or handing off to a server.
context_section_description: The first bartender's manual, written by Jerry Thomas and published in 1862, contains the recipe for the first flaming cocktail, the Blue Blazer. The book, How to Mix Drinks, describes how to turn a hot toddy made with Scotch into a "blazing stream of liquid fire":
  1 wine-glass of Scotch whisky.
  1 do. Boiling water.
  Put the whisky and the boiling water in one mug, ignite the liquid with fire, and while blazing mix both ingredients by pouring them four or five times from one mug to the other, as represented in the cut. If well done this will have the appearance of a continued stream of liquid fire.
  Sweeten with one teaspoonful of pulverized white sugar, and serve in a small bar tumbler, with a piece of lemon peel.
  The "blue blazer" does not have a very euphonious or classic name, but it tastes better to the palate than it sounds to the ear. A beholder gazing for the first time upon an experienced artist, compounding this beverage, would naturally come to the conclusion that it was a nectar for Pluto rather than Bacchus. The novice in mixing this beverage should be careful not to scald himself. To become proficient in throwing the liquid from one mug to the other, it will be necessary to practise for some time with cold water.
caption: Jerry Thomas, the author of the first book with cocktail recipes
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