Happy 25th birthday to me

It’s Sunday afternoon and after another wild night, I can barely move. I know, I know — same old story right? Wrong. This time, I have a great excuse. It’s the day after my 25th birthday.

Even though every text, picture and Like on Facebook and Instagram is a reminder of the amount of drinking I did the night before, I can’t help but review the love being sent my way. And I must say, while at this moment it feels like little has changed about my drinking habits, all in all, I feel like a more mature human.

For one, I don’t just drink whatever someone hands me. I have standards now. Hence, why I sought specialty shots for my celebration. My plan was to take 25 unique shots around the Queen City. A shot crawl, if you will.

It sounded like a great idea at first, but looking back, 25 shots, even across 25 days, was ambitious. So I’m going to share seven — that’s the sum of the 2 and the 5 in 25.

The biggest challenge to creating this list was that a lot of people don’t take specialty shots. I’d ask someone, “Hey, have you ever had a unique shot at a bar in Charlotte?” And nine times out of 10, the response was, “Ehh, I normally just take a straight shot of whiskey.” Be adventurous people, geez.

The other challenge? Having to recall each shot and realizing you’ve mixed way too many types of liquors.

• Hickory Tavern, Ballantyne: The Schmekle. I had this one after work at a happy hour get-together. A Hickory Tavern specialty, it included Bacardi 151, vodka, Blue Curaçao and Red Bull. And let me tell you, this one was a doozie. I’m not going to lie; I had them add a tad more Red Bull.

• Gin Mill, South End: Bend Me Over. I loved the bartender here. She was really nice and had a lot of bar experience, so she filled me in on a classic shot that included Crown Royal, pineapple juice and amaretto. Not the best idea to take this one right after a Cloud 9 shot. I wanted to bend over, and not in the way that the name suggests.

• Tavern on the Tracks, South End: Blueberry Pancake. Here, I had breakfast for dinner. Our cute redheaded bartender (whose name escapes me) suggested we try a blueberry pancake shot. This was the first pancake I considered putting back. Don’t get me wrong: It was delicious and tasted exactly like a blueberry pancake, but I had been rallying for a while. For this one, you shoot Knob Creek Maple Bourbon mixed with butterscotch schnapps and then chase with blueberry Red Bull.

• <a href="http://www.allamericanpubclt.com/
“>All American, South End: Cheerwine. Here we got a Southern staple.Living in the South, if you haven’t had Cheerwine, you haven’t lived. The first place I tried one was at Jeff’s Bucket Shop, and I tossed it under the bar (shhh … don’t tell)! And believe it or not, there actually isn’t any Cheerwine in it, which is pretty awesome. Instead, it’s made of Captain Morgan, amaretto, grenadine and a splash of sour.

• <a href="http://www.whiskeywarehouse.com/
“>Whiskey Warehouse, Plaza Midwood: Mt. Dew. This is another staple you can get anywhere, but my first exposure was here. This is a bomb, a mixture of Southern Comfort, Grand Marnier and Midori that you drop into a cup of Sprite.

• Thirsty Beaver, Plaza Midwood: Whiskey Pickleback. Tread lightly with this one. All it consists of is a shot of whiskey (your choice) that you chase with pickle juice. The major difference? They use pickles/pickle juice from a local pickle lady that are absolutely amazing.

• L4 Lounge, Plaza Midwood: The Aerin Shot. Of course, I saved the best for last. This is a signature shot that Jan, my fave bartender, whipped up for me. I simply asked her to make me a shot that was unique to me, and she hit the nail on the head. It consisted of peach vodka, Grand Marnier, Razzmatazz, a splash of sour, a splash of cranberry and a splash of Sprite. If you’re at L4 Lounge and want to know what I taste like, ask for The Aerin Shot!

Now that I’ve officially tortured myself while hungover the day after my 25th birthday, I pass the baton to you. Where have you been in the Queen City that offers a tasty specialty shot? I may not have hit 25 shots this weekend, but this is definitely a worthy goal over the next year.

This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2015.