a bomb made up of a glass bottle with a flammable liquid inside and with a gasoline-soaked cloth inside and coming out the top. It is lit and thrown and explodes on impact creating an instant inferno. First used in World War 1

A Molotov cocktail (or petrol bomb) is a crude incendiary weapon which consists of a glass bottle semi-filled with flammable liquid, usually gasoline (petrol) or alcohol (generally methanol or ethanol), the mouth of the bottle is stoppered with a cork or other type of airtight bung (rubber, glass, or plastic), and a cloth rag fixed securely around the mouth. The weapon is used by first soaking the rag in a flammable liquid immediately prior to using it, lighting the rag and throwing the bottle at the target. The bottle shatters on impact, spilling the flammable liquid over the target which is then ignited by the burning rag.

Sometimes, if available, self-inflammatory materials (such as white phosphorus), could also be used to guarantee the bottle's explosion as it hits the target surface. Tar, palm oil or other thickening agents are often added to the composition in order to make the burning fluid stick to the target rather than run off. Finnish soldiers often used hand soap suds as their form of palm oil in their Molotov Cocktails. Modern variations of the Molotov cocktail also contain laundry detergent, liquid dish soap, or crushed up styrofoam cups. The Molotov cocktail is closely related to the same principle of Napalm bombs. Napalm is a contraction of the words naphtha (the flammable part of petrol) and palm oil. Sometimes acid is added to the mix to increase the damaging potential of the liquid, and to increase the chances for it to penetrate fire-resistant surfac...

Molotov Cocktail
-An incendiary device that consists of a glass bottle, a flammable liquid, and a soaked rag
See Incendiary

It is made quickly and easily with household materials

The bottle is filled with the liquid (usually gasoline) and the rag is soaked in the liquid
The rag is then used as a fuse that ignites the liquid
When the rag is lit the bottle is thrown by user; the bottle then breaks upon impact; the liquid then spreads and ignites instantly, creating a large fireball (depending on liquid)

Molotov cocktails can be used to attack buildings, cars, and personnel and are extremely dangerous on the receiving end

A crude yet rather effective firebomb consisting of a bottle containing flammable materials (i.e kerosene, gasoline, oil, or other flammable things) with an ignited rag at the top. Somewhat easy to make, and used sometimes by rioters, rebels, and folks who just plain want to burn things.

A glassbottle filled with flammable substance and some form of fuse. To be used as a weapon (anti-tank).

Most commonly fuel and a rag soaked with something flammable. The rag will burn and clog the bottle's neck so that the flame spreads only when the bottle is broken (thrown at the target).

Named and made famous by Finns in the Winter War (1939-1940). Name comes from the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov who claimed in a radio broadcast that the Soviet airplanes dropped food to Finland during the war (instead they actually dropped RRAB-3 clusterbombs which the Finns comically named Molotov's bread baskets.) The Finns then decided to name the bottle they effectively used against Soviet tanks 'Molotov Cocktail' to go with "the food".

Nowadays used mostly by rioters and hooligans against the police. Also used in arsons.

a crude bomb made of a glass bottle filled with a mixture of flammable liquids and a piece of cloth for the wick (name satirically by Finnish to repel the soviet invasion during the year of 1940)

A crude bomb that can be made in ones kitchen sink. Usually its a mixture of high octane gasoline and laundry detergent. This mixture makes is very sticky and thick. Its basically a poor mans napalm bomb. This mixture is put in an empty bottle and then has a gasoline soaked rag stuffed into the top as a way to ignite the mixture. This is thrown at its target and is expected to break (the bottle) and spread the sticky mixture of highly flammable gasoline and ignite it. This then burns its target to a crisp.