There were some obvious follow up questions about duck farts before we left our Airbnb. First and foremost, what is a duck fart? Simple answer: a layered shot with Kahlua coffee liqueur, Baileys Irish cream, and Crown Royal Canadian whisky. The answer to why it was a required part of a Sitka bar crawl was similarly simple. The shot is an Alaska classic, and Ernie’s Old Time Saloon (or simply Ernie’s Bar) claims to serve the best in the whole state. The claim is even engraved on the bar’s front door.
Photo: Nickolaus Hines
And the taste? Crain swore that a milkshake was the only appropriate description.
Despite the name, even some of the typical cruise ship crowd appears to have duck farts on their Sitka to-do list. Reviews of Ernie’s on TripAdvisor include the straightforward “I highly recommend it,” to “They were delicious!!!! When in Sitka come to Ernies for a Duck Fart!”
We opted to start with a duck fart at Ernie’s. At 9 PM, the sun still bright in the sky, we walked to Ernie’s and took three seats at the bar. People were just starting to trickle in to join the regulars who had already warmed their seats. Our trip luckily missed any mass influx of cruise ship tourists (multiple ships more than doubled the population the day we flew out), so the crowd was mostly locals playing pool and getting their weekend started.
The bartender didn’t blink twice when Crain ordered a round of duck farts. The bottles were all close at hand. As she poured, she talked about the classic Alaskan duck fart and all its joys. Apparently a few people had tried out other liquor brands for a “premium” duck fart. That was a waste. This is a shot perfected.
The backbar decor at Ernie’s. Photo: Nickolaus Hines
We made a toast shortly after admiring the three clean layers, then threw them down the hatch. First came the slight burn of the whisky on top, followed by a mellowing from the fat in the Irish cream, and finally the lingering coffee flavor. Milkshake is indeed an appropriate description. Particularly a blended Starbucks “coffee drink” that’s closer to a milkshake than a pure caffeine kick.
I don’t take as many shots as I used to when my job was covering spirits, cocktails, and other vices for various publications. Still, if my memory serves me right, duck farts fall squarely on the higher end of enjoyable shooters.
Our Sitka bar crawl continued after we depleted a fair amount of our cash at Ernie’s (the bar is cash only, and like most things in Alaska, drinks aren’t exactly cheap). There were boilermakers followed by more beer at Pioneer Bar, then margaritas and martinis at Mean Queen.
Duck farts didn’t make it for another round, and I haven’t been elsewhere in Alaska to judge whether it’s truly the state’s best as the door claims. Yet there’s no denying that it’s worth a stop for duck farts at Ernie’s, whether you’re quickly passing through on a cruise or staying for a longer adventure.
Ernie’s Old Time Saloon: 130 Lincoln St, Sitka, AK 99835
My first duck fart sparked an interest in learning more about this Alaska-famous drink. Coming across a drink born and cherished in Alaska is as rare as meeting someone born and raised in Alaska.
I’m not alone here. Searches for cocktails invented in Alaska come up with dubious claims. Not so with the duck fart. A story by RJ Johnson in the Anchorage Press put it most eloquently: “Love it or hate it, there is no denying that the Duck Fart is the reigning king of Alaskan drinks.”
Johnson goes on to describe how the drink was created at the Peanut Farm bar in Anchorage on a snowy December night in 1987. A 70-year-old woman asked bartender Dave Schmidt for a shot of tequila, a B-52 shot, and then a grasshopper shot. Apparently Alaskans drink different than us normals in the contiguous United States regardless of age. With the snow going outside, the two started to experiment with layered shots. Instead of the Grand Marnier on top of Kahlua and Baileys like in a B-52, the woman suggested Crown Royal. History was made.
As for the name, the story has a few more twists. The one that is too good to fact check is that the woman made a noise after taking the shot that “sounded like someone had stepped on the web-footed fowl,” Johnson writes. Other stories mention that Schmidt was wearing a duck bill that night, or that he was inspired by his home state of Oregon.
A duck fart is a relatively straightforward drink in terms of ingredients, and uses bottles you can find just about anywhere. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to make, however.
Ingredients:
How to make a duck fart: A shot glass works best for ease of drinking (definitely don’t sip this one), though really any glass will suffice. Pour Kahlua into your glass of choice. Then take a bar spoon and slowly pour the Baileys down the spoon and into the glass. Don’t rush the pour, as you want the weight of each liqueur to naturally keep them separate. Use the same technique for the Crown Royal to make the third distinct layer.
Layered pours take some practice, but it’s worth the effort. Sure, the ingredients will all mix in your mouth when you shoot it, and the taste will be similar if not the same. But appearance is a big part of a duck fart, or any layered shot for that matter. I’m not sure I want to venture a guess here as to what names locals use for a mixed up duck fart. 