Bluffers Guide to Beer Cocktails
So, it’s National Beer Day on 7 April, but if beer really isn’t your thing, you can still celebrate by trying a beer cocktail instead! What?! I hear you say….
Yes, that’s correct, beer is being used more frequently in cockails, and we’re not talking Shandy or Snakebite! Beer cocktails have been popping up in bars and restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic for the past few years. Officially, a cocktail refers to any drink containing two or more ingredients, when at least one of them contains alcohol.
So why not put down the pint glass and test drive one of these beauties for National Beer Day. They’re sure sure to impress any date or mate! For the full whammy, swat up you on your beer knowledge too with our Bluffers Guide to Beer.
1) Black Velvet
This beer cocktail was reportedly created to mourn the death of Prince Albert in 1861, and is meant to reflect the black armbands the mourners were wearing.
Ingredients: equal measures of Guinness and Champagne
In a Champagne flute, pour in Champagne to fill half the glass, angling the glass when pouring at 45 degrees. Then carefully pour in the Guinness over the back of a spoon to keep the two in different layers.
2) Raspberry Beer Cocktail
This is an ideal cocktail for a summer picnic or BBQ. Spice it up by serving in tea cups or jam jars with straws.
Ingredients: 3/4 cup of frozen raspberries, 4 bottles of beer, one bottle of raspberry lemonade, half cup of vodka
Simply mix all ingredients together in a large punch bowl with plenty of ice. Garnish with lemon and lime slices and enjoy in the sunshine.
3) Summer Hoedown
Another great summer time drink, this brings in a white beer like Hoegaarden and the summer flavours of watermelon. This drink goes well with a cheeseboard or BBQ chicken.
Ingredients: 1 watermelon, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of cherry liquer, 4 x bottles of Hoegaarden white ale.
Blend the watermelon until liquified. Strain out the pulp, saving just the juice. Then stir in the sugar until dissolved. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to chill, then stire in the cherry liquer and the white beer.
4) Cerveza Nicola
Taking on the Italian beer here, this is a great cocktail served as an aperitif.
Ingredients: ½ oz. Campari, ½ oz. SKYY Vodka, 1 bottle of Peroni, orange slice
Mix in the Campari and Vodka into a glass filled with ice. Add in the beer to the top of the glass and then serve with an orange slice on the rim.
5) Cucumber Blonde Bloody Mary
A perfect twist on the iconic hangover remedy, this concoction is sure to impress your sleepover guest!
Ingredients: 2 oz. Effen Cucumber Vodka 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 dash celery salt, 1 dash pepper, 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce, 1 dash hot sauce, ½ oz. lime juice, 2 oz. blonde beer, celery stick
Muddle together the tomatoes, celery salt, and pepper in a cocktail shaker. Then add in the other ingredients, except the beer. Add in ice and shake to chill. Strain into an ice-filled glass, and top up with the beer. Garnish with the celery stick and serve.
Do you have a beer cocktail to share with us? Tell us your experiences of beer cocktails!
