The infamous beverage includes a shot glass with equal parts Jameson Irish Whiskey and Baileys Irish cream, which is then dropped into a half pint of Guinness. Despite the name, the drink didn’t originate in Ireland at all. It was first served in 1979 at Wilson’s Saloon in Norwich, CT. The "car bomb" reference alludes to the bubbling and splashing that happens when the shot glass is dropped into the pint—but its historical association is problematic, to say the least.
The cocktail’s name refers to a decades-long period of violence in Northern Ireland. The tensions are deeply rooted in the history of Ireland and its colonization by Great Britain starting in the late 12th century. Centuries of conflict later, the island was divided into the independent Republic of Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland. Beyond the difference in governments, the two territories were largely divided over religious lines—Catholics in Ireland and Protestants in Northern Ireland.