It was for an actual birthday that we decided to give the Birthday Cake a spin—at this point, we were already at least two drinks in, so a shot seemed like a great idea at the time (not so much the next morning).

This is a recipe I picked up from a friend, who I think might have designed it herself—if not, she’s getting the props anyway.

1 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz triple sec
pineapple juice
maraschino cherry juice

Pour vodka and triple sec into a large shot or cordial glass. Top with pineapple juice and add a dash of maraschino cherry juice.

The drink worked out great because these are all items I have on-hand pretty much all the time. Though slightly mis-named (it really resembles a pineapple-upside down cake more than a birthday cake, per se, but if you like pineapple upside-down cake then you could conceivably have one as your birthday cake, right?), it still tastes good going down. I can’t, in good conscience, even place this in the same neighborhood as a cocktail, but it’s pleasant and inoffensive.