I was reading my favorite regional magazine: Sunset, and came across an article about beer cocktails. My fiance, of course the "beer purist" would never disgrace beer by making it into a cocktail. However, I may convince him these are the bees knees! Beer cocktails are making a come back this summer at bars and are the perfect summer refreshers that are just as easy to make at home.
LEMON TOP
4 parts ale
1 part lemonade to top off.
lemon for garnish
BLACK VELVET
1 part stout
1 part sparkling wine
The most common beer "cocktails" contain no hard alcohol at all, they are simply equal parts of two types of beer or cider layered on top of each other in a pint glass. This includes a dark stout like Guinness with a light-colored ale in the Black and Tan, and lager beer and hard apple cider in the Snakebite. We'd also put the Black Velvet in this category, a mix of stout and Champagne best poured as follows: Fill glass halfway with bubbly, then pour stout over a spoon, slowly, to create a layered effect.
MICHELADA
The Michelada is a refreshing cocktail, originally from Mexico, made with beer, lime juice, and hot sauce, served in a salt-rimmed glass over ice. Cocktail consultants The Tippling Brothers created several variations of the Michelada, including the Happy Mich, for Mercadito restaurants in New York. It retains the spicy/soothing format of the original beer cocktail, and brings some interesting hot seasonings, cooling watermelon, and hibiscus flavors into the mix.