✔ Updated · 16 drinks with measurements, best mixers + a mocktail
Butterscotch schnapps is a sweet, buttery caramel liqueur, and it turns coffee, cream and hot cocoa into dessert in a glass. These are my favorite drinks with it, each with measurements for one serving.
The best drinks with butterscotch schnapps are the Buttery Nipple shot (with Irish cream), a Butterscotch White Russian, a Butterscotch Martini, boozy butterbeer with cream soda and butterscotch hot cocoa. The easiest mixers are Irish cream, cream soda, coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider and root beer. It's already sweet, so skip extra sugar.
- Easiest: 1 1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps over ice with 4 oz cream soda or root beer.
- Most famous: the Buttery Nipple shot.
- Warm drink: a shot stirred into hot chocolate or coffee.
Below are 16 butterscotch schnapps cocktails, the easiest two-ingredient mixers, my tips for balancing all that sweetness and an alcohol-free version. Every drink here contains alcohol and is for adults of legal drinking age.
What Is Butterscotch Schnapps?
Butterscotch schnapps is a sweet liqueur flavored like butterscotch candy: brown sugar, butter and a little vanilla. In the US, "schnapps" usually means a sweetened, flavored liqueur rather than the dry fruit brandy of Germany and Austria.
Most bottles sit around 15% to 20% ABV, so it's gentler than vodka or rum, but it still packs a punch in a creamy drink you can sip too fast. Check the label, because strength varies by brand.
16 Drinks with Butterscotch Schnapps
Each recipe makes one drink, and 1 oz is about 30 ml. Taste before you add any extra sweetener, because the schnapps brings plenty of its own.
1. Buttery Nipple
1 oz butterscotch schnapps in a shot glass, then 1/2 oz Irish cream floated on top over the back of a spoon. Sweet, creamy and the classic.
2. Butterscotch White Russian
1 1/2 oz vodka, 1 oz coffee liqueur and 1 oz butterscotch schnapps over ice, topped with 2 oz milk or cream and a pinch of salt.
Get the recipe →3. Butterscotch Martini
1 1/2 oz vanilla vodka, 1 oz butterscotch schnapps and 1 oz Irish cream or half-and-half, shaken hard with ice and strained into a chilled glass.
4. Boozy Butterbeer
1 oz butterscotch schnapps and 1 oz vanilla vodka over ice, topped with 6 oz cream soda and a swirl of whipped cream. A grown-up take on the wizard classic.
Get the recipe →5. Butterscotch Mudslide
1 oz each vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and butterscotch schnapps, on the rocks or blended with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
6. Blind Russian
1 oz Irish cream, 1 oz coffee liqueur and 1 oz butterscotch schnapps over ice with 3 oz milk and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
7. Bananas Foster Cocktail
1 oz spiced rum, 1 oz butterscotch schnapps, 1/2 oz banana liqueur and 2 oz heavy cream, shaken with ice. Grate a little nutmeg on top.
8. Caramel Apple Martini
1 oz vodka, 1 oz sour apple schnapps and 1 oz butterscotch schnapps, shaken with ice. Tastes like a caramel-dipped apple at the fall fair.
9. Candy Corn Martini
1 oz whipped cream vodka, 1 oz butterscotch schnapps, 1 oz pineapple juice and 1/2 oz half-and-half, shaken very cold. A Halloween party favorite.
10. Butterscotch Hot Cocoa
1 to 1 1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps stirred into 6 oz hot chocolate, finished with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce.
11. Butterscotch Coffee
1 oz butterscotch schnapps and 1 oz Irish cream stirred into 6 oz hot coffee. Top with lightly whipped cream for an easy after-dinner drink.
12. Butterscotch Milkshake Cocktail
Blend 1 oz butterscotch schnapps, 1 oz coffee liqueur, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream and 2 oz milk. Finish with caramel sauce and a cherry.
13. Snowflake Punch
Per glass: 1 scoop vanilla ice cream, 1 oz butterscotch schnapps and 5 oz cream soda. Chill the glasses first for a frosty look.
14. Butterscotch Bliss
1 oz butterscotch schnapps, 1 oz Irish cream and 1 oz half-and-half, shaken with ice and poured into a sugar-rimmed glass. Rich, so one is plenty.
15. Sparkling Butterscotch Cider
1 oz butterscotch schnapps and 1 oz spiced rum in a glass with ice, topped with 4 oz sparkling apple cider and a thin apple slice.
16. Butterscotch Old Fashioned
2 oz bourbon, 1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps and 2 dashes Angostura bitters stirred over a large ice cube, with an orange peel twist. No extra sugar needed.
Easy 2-Ingredient Butterscotch Schnapps Drinks
For the simplest drinks, pour 1 1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps over ice and top with about 4 oz of a mixer. Here's what each one tastes like.
| Drink | Mix with | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|
| Butterscotch and cream soda | 4 oz cream soda | Vanilla, caramel, like butterbeer |
| Butterscotch and root beer | 4 oz root beer | A root beer float in a glass |
| Butterscotch and ginger ale | 4 oz ginger ale + lime wedge | Lighter, spicy and fizzy |
| Butterscotch and cola | 4 oz cola | Sweet caramel cola |
| Butterscotch and apple cider | 4 oz cold or warm apple cider | Caramel apple |
| Butterscotch and Irish cream | 1 oz Irish cream, over ice | Rich, creamy, dessert-like |
| Butterscotch and coffee | 6 oz hot coffee | A caramel latte, minus the milk |
Alcohol-Free Option: Butterscotch Cream Soda Float
All 16 drinks above contain alcohol and are for adults of legal drinking age only. For kids, drivers or anyone skipping alcohol, this mocktail keeps the buttery caramel flavor with none of the booze.
Put 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, add 1 tablespoon butterscotch ice cream topping, then slowly pour in 6 oz cold cream soda. Stir once, top with whipped cream and a drizzle more butterscotch. For a warm version, whisk 1 tablespoon butterscotch topping into a mug of steamed milk. More ideas: our Harry Potter-inspired butterbeer, which has a non-alcoholic version, and the old fashioned mocktail.
Tips for Mixing with Butterscotch Schnapps
- Add a pinch of salt. A tiny pinch of flaky salt in a creamy butterscotch drink turns it into salted caramel and stops it tasting flat. This is my favorite trick, honestly.
- Balance the sweetness. Coffee, bourbon, bitters, ginger ale or a squeeze of lime keep these drinks from getting cloying.
- Shake creamy drinks hard. Cream and Irish cream need a good 15 seconds of shaking with plenty of ice to turn silky and frothy.
- Watch acid with cream. Citrus and pineapple can curdle cream if they sit. Shake those drinks very cold and serve right away.
- Layer shots slowly. For a Buttery Nipple, pour the Irish cream over the back of a bar spoon held just above the schnapps so it floats.
- Store it simply. Keep an opened bottle tightly capped in a cool, dark cupboard. Cream liqueurs like Irish cream belong in the fridge once opened.
More Cocktail Recipes
If you love creamy, dessert-style drinks, I'd head to our drinks with Baileys and Kahlua next, or try the retro Pink Squirrel cocktail. For something warmer, Baileys hot chocolate is a cozy winter pick, and our drinks with Southern Comfort cover the fruity, spiced side of the bar cart. My December treat is plain butterscotch hot cocoa by the fire once the house is finally quiet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What mixes well with butterscotch schnapps?
Irish cream, coffee liqueur, vodka, cream and milk are the classic partners. For long drinks, top it with cream soda, root beer, ginger ale, cola or sparkling apple cider. It also works stirred into hot chocolate or coffee. Because the schnapps is sweet, add little or no extra sugar.
What is a Buttery Nipple made of?
A Buttery Nipple is a two-ingredient shot: about 1 oz butterscotch schnapps on the bottom with 1/2 oz Irish cream layered on top. Pour the Irish cream slowly over the back of a spoon so it floats. Some bartenders add a splash of vodka to make it stronger.
Can you drink butterscotch schnapps straight?
Yes. It is often sipped chilled or over ice, or taken as a shot. It is very sweet on its own, though, so many people prefer it with cream, coffee or a fizzy mixer. Like any liqueur, it is for adults of legal drinking age only.
How strong is butterscotch schnapps?
Most butterscotch schnapps is a lower-proof liqueur, usually around 15% to 20% ABV (30 to 40 proof), although some bottles are stronger. That is about half the strength of vodka or rum, but it still contains alcohol, so check the label and drink responsibly.
Is butterscotch schnapps the same as butter ripple schnapps?
They are very close. Butter ripple is the name some brands use, mostly in the UK and Ireland, for a creamy toffee and butterscotch flavored schnapps. You can swap one for the other in any of these drinks.
