South African cocktail · layered

Springbokkie recipe

The green-and-gold layered shooter — peppermint liqueur under a float of Amarula. Rugby fuel.

A Springbokkie is 15 ml (16.5 g) Green Crème de Menthe and 15 ml (15.9 g) Amarula Cream, layered and served in a shot glass. It pours to about 30 ml before ice, at roughly 20.5% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.

  • Glassshot glass
  • Methodlayered
  • Pour volume30 ml
  • Strength (est.)20.5% ABV
  • Time3 min
A Springbokkie served in a shot glass

Springbokkie ingredients — in millilitres and grams

Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.

Springbokkie ingredients with volume, weight and density
IngredientVolumeWeightg/mlNotes
Green Crème de Menthe 15 ml 16.5 g 1.10 Weighed by the coaster
Amarula Cream 15 ml 15.9 g 1.06 float on top

How to make a Springbokkie

  1. Set your shot glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
  2. Pour the Green Crème de Menthe into the shot glass first — this is the heavier layer, which is exactly why the weights below differ from the volumes.
  3. Rest a bar spoon just above the surface and pour the Amarula Cream slowly over the back of it so it floats.
  4. Serve immediately, before the layers bleed into each other.

Springbokkie: the questions people actually ask

How strong is a Springbokkie?

Roughly 20.5% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.

What glass should a Springbokkie be served in?

A shot glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.

Can I make a Springbokkie without a jigger?

Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.

The PourPilot coaster

Pour a Springbokkie without measuring anything

The PourPilot coaster weighs your glass as you pour and lights up when you hit the number. Every recipe on this site — all 124 of them — is built into the free app, in grams, ready to pour.

Free delivery in South Africa · 7-day returns · 12-month warranty · No subscription