Snowball Shooter

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 04/24/21
Snowball Shot With Brandy

The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 shot
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
177 Calories
0g Fat
13g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 177
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 0mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 1mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The snowball shooter is a winter wonderland in a shot glass. Filled with brandy, peppermint schnapps, and chocolate liqueur, it's sure to warm you up on a cold day.

Beyond the shot's delicious taste, the snowball is also incredibly easy to mix up. Since you'll pour equal amounts of each of the three liquors, you'll have no problems remembering this recipe. Store it in your memory bank and you'll be able to share a round of chocolate-mint shots at any party.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ounce brandy

  • 3/4 ounce peppermint schnapps

  • 3/4 ounce white crème de cacao

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a cocktail shaker, pour the three ingredients. Fill with ice.

  3. Shake well.

  4. Strain into a shot glass.

  5. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • Crème de cacao is a sweet chocolate-flavored liqueur. The white version—it's actually clear—is recommended for the snowball, but you can use dark crème de cacao if you have it. Only the color of the shot will change and the taste will remain the same.
  • There are other chocolate liqueurs available, though most of them are on the creamier side of the spectrum. If you have one of those bottles, it will work in the snowball though you'll have a different texture.
  • Some bottles of peppermint schnapps are stronger than others. The higher the proof the stronger the peppermint and alcohol taste will be. If you're using a 100-proof schnapps like Rumple Minze, you might want to pour a little less so you can taste the other ingredients.
  • There's no need to pour your best brandy in this shot. Find a good, affordable brand to keep in your bar for drinks like this and save the good stuff for sipping straight or enjoying in fancy brandy cocktails.

Recipe Variations

  • If you were to skip the brandy and pour only the crème de cacao and peppermint schnapps, you would have a polar bear shot.
  • As with that recipe, you can add any base spirit you like to the chocolate-mint combination. Vodka, whiskey, and brandy would be the obvious choices, though an aged tequila may not be bad either.
  • Another similar shot is the snowshoe. In that recipe, you'll simply shake bourbon and peppermint schnapps.
  • A fun experiment is to infuse your brandy with chocolate. It's easy to do with chocolate-covered cacao beans, similar to this rye whiskey infusion. Pouring that into your snowball should be pretty tasty and it's a good three-day winter project.

How Strong Is the Snowball?

The snowball can be either a relatively mild shot or a pretty fierce one. The biggest factor is the peppermint schnapps that you choose to pour.

With a 30-proof schnapps, the alcohol content will be around 28 percent ABV (56 proof). If you go with a 100-proof schnapps, it jumps to 41 percent ABV (82 proof) on average. That's the same as taking a straight shot of tequila.