A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey. The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step, and in parts of Florida, it is often referred to as a Git-Right.
The drink originated in Butte, Montana in the 1890s, and was originally called a "Sean O'Farrell" and was served only when miners ended their shifts.
In England, the term boilermaker traditionally refers to a half pint of draught mild mixed with a half pint of bottled brown ale, although it now also commonly refers to the American shot and pint. In Scotland, a Half and a Half is a half pint of beer with a whisky ('a haul'). The use of these terms in Scottish and English pubs can be traced back to about 1920.
There are a number of ways to drink an American boilermaker:
Other pairings of a shot and a beer are possible; traditional pairings include: