Oyster Shooter Recipe: Bloody Mary Oyster Shots and 6 Ways to Make Them

An oyster shooter is a raw oyster dropped into a shot glass with a splash of something cold and savory, then knocked back in one go. Brine, a little heat, a little acid, and the cleanest taste of the ocean you will get all year. It is the most fun way to serve oysters at a party, and one of the easiest.

Below is how I make them at home: the classic Bloody Mary oyster shooter, a handful of variations with vodka, mezcal, beer, rum, and sake, a zero-proof version, plus how to buy, shuck, chill, and serve them so they come out right.

What Is an Oyster Shooter?

An oyster shooter is one shucked raw oyster, its liquor (the briny juice in the shell), and a small pour of a seasoned mixer in a shot glass. It sits somewhere between a seafood appetizer and a cocktail. The most common version is basically a mini Bloody Mary with an oyster in the bottom: tomato juice, savory seasoning, hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon, and usually a shot of vodka. Some bars use cocktail sauce instead, others go with beer, sake, or tequila.

It is not sipped. You tip it back so the oyster and the drink slide down together, chew once or twice if you like, and you are done.

Where the Oyster Shooter Came From

The story most often told goes back to San Francisco around the gold rush. A miner back from the gold fields asked a bartender to drop oysters into his whiskey with a little sauce, and the bar was soon selling the "oyster cocktail" by the glass. Whether every detail is true or not, oysters and booze have shared a glass in American bars for more than 150 years, and today the Bloody Mary version is the one most bars pour.

Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter Recipe

Makes 12 shooters. Takes about 15 minutes, most of it shucking.

Ingredients

• 12 fresh oysters, shucked, with their liquor
• 1 cup (8 oz) cold tomato juice, or Clamato for extra brine
• 1.5 oz (3 tablespoons) Stu's Classic Bloody Mary Seasoning
• 6 oz ice-cold vodka (1/2 oz per shooter), or skip it
• 1 lemon, cut into small wedges
• Optional: Ghost Pepper Hot Drops, prepared horseradish, celery salt or a rim salt for the glasses

Instructions

1. Chill everything. Put the shot glasses in the freezer, the vodka in the freezer, and the tomato juice in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Stir the Stu's into the tomato juice. That is the same ratio as a full Bloody Mary, about 1 oz of Stu's for every 5 oz of juice.
3. If you want a rimmed glass, run a lemon wedge around each rim and dip it in rim salt.
4. Put one oyster and a little of its liquor in each glass.
5. Add 1/2 oz of vodka, then top with about 1 oz of the Bloody Mary base.
6. Add a drop of Hot Drops or a tiny dab of horseradish to any glass that wants more kick, squeeze in a little lemon, and serve right away.

This is where Stu's earns its spot. Making a Bloody Mary base from scratch means measuring Worcestershire, hot sauce, celery salt, and pepper into a tiny batch, and getting it wrong is easy when the glass only holds an ounce. Stu's takes all of that hassle away. The seasoning and our custom hot sauce are already perfectly proportioned in one bottle, so the base comes together in one stir, and everyone at the table can still go hotter with a drop of heat or brighter with a squeeze of lemon. Everybody gets exactly the shooter they want.

How to Take an Oyster Shooter

Hold the glass, tip your head back, and let the whole thing slide in at once. Give the oyster a chew or two to get the flavor, then swallow. If you are new to raw oysters, the shooter is the easiest introduction there is, because the cold, savory drink carries the oyster and softens the texture.

Oyster Shooter Variations

Once you have the method, change the spirit and the seasoning. Each of these makes one shooter.

Old-School Vodka Oyster Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1 oz ice-cold vodka
• 1 teaspoon cocktail sauce
• A drop of hot sauce, like Tabasco, and a squeeze of lemon

This is the bar-rail version with no tomato juice, just vodka and a dab of cocktail sauce. It is stronger and simpler. Keep the vodka in the freezer so it pours thick and cold.

Smoky Mezcal Oyster Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1/2 oz mezcal
• 1 oz tomato juice mixed with Stu's Smoked Jalapeño (same 1 to 5 ratio)
• Key Lime Rimmer on the glass

Smoked Jalapeño is built on a custom chipotle hot sauce with a little smoke in the background, and it lines up with mezcal. Rim the glass with the Key Lime Rimmer for a salty, tart edge. Like this flavor? Try a full mezcal Bloody Mary.

Michelada Oyster Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1 teaspoon Stu's Bloody Mary Seasoning
• A squeeze of lime
• Cold Mexican lager to top

This is the oyster shooter with beer you see at a lot of Gulf Coast and Mexican seafood spots. Put the oyster, Stu's, and lime in a small glass, top with beer, and shoot it. Lighter than a vodka shooter and good for a long afternoon. The full drink is in our michelada recipe.

Jamaican Jerk Rum Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1/2 oz white rum
• 1 oz tomato juice mixed with Stu's Jamaican Jerk
• A squeeze of lime

Jamaican Jerk brings warm jerk spice and habanero heat with a little sweetness underneath, which plays well with the salt of the oyster and the clean bite of white rum.

Sake Oyster Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1 oz cold sake
• 1/2 teaspoon ponzu or a few drops of soy sauce
• A sliver of scallion

The lightest version on the list. No tomato, just clean sake, a little citrus and salt from the ponzu, and the oyster.

Zero-Proof Oyster Shooter

• 1 oyster with its liquor
• 1 1/2 oz of the Bloody Mary base (Stu's and tomato juice)
• Optional: 1/2 oz Jalapeño Zero-Proof Spirit

Skip the vodka and add a little more of the base. The flavor comes from the seasoning, not the alcohol, so it tastes just as good. A splash of the Jalapeño Zero-Proof Spirit adds a grassy kick in place of the booze.

How to Buy and Shuck Oysters for Shooters

Buying

• Go small to medium. A shooter glass holds one oyster, so pick ones that fit. Briny East Coast oysters and small West Coast varieties both work.
• Buy them alive and closed. Shells should be tightly shut or close when tapped, and they should smell like clean seawater. Skip anything with a cracked shell or a strong fishy smell.
• Keep them cold. Store oysters cup side down in a bowl in the fridge, covered with a damp towel, and use them within a day or two. Never store them in water or a sealed bag.
• Shortcut: ask the fish counter to shuck them for you, or buy fresh shucked oysters in a container. For shooters, both work fine.

Shucking

1. Fold a kitchen towel and hold the oyster cup side down in it, hinge facing you.
2. Work the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge and twist until it pops.
3. Slide the knife along the inside of the top shell to cut the muscle, and lift the top shell off.
4. Run the knife under the oyster to free it from the bottom shell, keeping as much liquor as you can.

Pick out any bits of shell and tip the oyster and its liquor straight into the chilled glass.

Serving Oyster Shooters at a Party

Shooters are a natural centerpiece for a raw bar. Set a tray of crushed ice on the counter, nest the glasses in it, and build the shooters as people come over so nothing sits out. Batch the Bloody Mary base ahead in a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. It holds for a couple of days.

Round out the spread with oysters on the half shell, lemon wedges, a bowl of cocktail sauce for shrimp, and a tray of Bloody Mary deviled eggs. If people want a full-size drink after the shooters, set up a Bloody Mary bar with the same bottle.

Bloody Mary Mignonette for the Half Shell

For the oysters you do not put in a glass, spoon over this quick twist on the classic shallot and vinegar mignonette.

• 2 tablespoons Stu's Bloody Mary Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• 1 small shallot, finely minced

Stir together and spoon about half a teaspoon over each shucked oyster. Keep it light. The point is to brighten the oyster, not bury it.

Grilled Oysters

Not into raw? Grill them. Set shucked oysters on the half shell over high heat, add a spoonful of Bloody Mary butter to each, and pull them when the edges curl and the butter bubbles, a few minutes at most.

A Note on Raw Oyster Safety

Raw oysters can carry bacteria like Vibrio, and according to the CDC, hot sauce, lemon juice, and alcohol do not kill it. Buy from a reputable seller, keep oysters cold, and serve them fresh. People with liver disease, a weakened immune system, or who are pregnant should stick to cooked oysters, and the grilled version above is a great way to get the same flavors.

For more drinks in this lane, see our list of savory cocktails, the Bloody Caesar (which gets its briny edge from clam juice), or more ways of cooking with Bloody Mary seasoning.

Oyster Shooter FAQ

What is in an oyster shooter?

A raw shucked oyster with its liquor, a splash of vodka, and a small pour of Bloody Mary mix or cocktail sauce with hot sauce and lemon. Some versions use beer, sake, tequila, or mezcal instead of vodka.

How do you drink an oyster shooter?

In one go. Tip the glass back so the oyster and the drink slide in together, chew once or twice if you like, and swallow. It is a shot, not a sipping drink.

What alcohol goes in an oyster shooter?

Vodka is the classic because it stays clean and lets the oyster lead. Mezcal, tequila, white rum, sake, and Mexican lager all work too, and you can skip the alcohol entirely for a zero-proof shooter.

How much alcohol is in an oyster shooter?

Usually 1/2 oz to 1 oz of vodka or another spirit, about a third to two thirds of a standard 1.5 oz shot. A beer version has even less, and a zero-proof shooter has none.

Do you chew oyster shooters?

A little. Most people tip it back and give the oyster one or two chews to release the briny flavor, then swallow. Swallowing it whole works too, but you miss most of the taste.

Are oyster shooters raw or cooked?

Raw. The oyster goes into the glass straight from the shell. If you prefer cooked oysters, grill them with Bloody Mary butter instead.

What is the difference between an oyster shot and an oyster shooter?

There is no real difference. Oyster shot, oyster shooter, and oyster cocktail all describe a raw oyster served in a shot glass with a seasoned mixer.

Can you make oyster shooters ahead of time?

Make the Bloody Mary base ahead and keep it cold, but shuck and assemble the shooters right before serving. Oysters should go from the shell to the glass to the guest quickly.

What are the best oysters for oyster shooters?

Small to medium oysters that fit in a shot glass, with a clean, briny flavor. Ask your fish counter what came in freshest that week.