Beer Cocktails

Recently, pubs have been following a trend and incorporating mixed drinks made from beer in their menus. If made well, these drinks taste great, leave a lasting impression with the customers, and can justify charging a little more for a pint. Here are a few of my favorites.

Snakebite
1 part lager
1 part cider
topped off with blackcurrant liqueur (creme de cassis in the US)

At the Waterfront Bar at Kings College London, this beverage was mixed in a pitcher. The bartender filled the pitcher with half Carlsberg, half Strongbow (both on tap). The blackcurrant was poured directly on top of the foam, in an "S" or "snake" shape. The color bled down, turning the drink a pinkish-purple.

The Lava Lamp
1 part Magners Cider
1 part Guinness
raspberry malt float

To "float" something means that the ingredient is added last, gently pouring it over the back of a spoon so that it drizzles on top of the already made drink.

The Lava Lamp was created by Dan, the awesome bartender at the Duck and Bunny on Wickenden St. in Providence. This drink has an interesting look. The Guinness and Magners don't mix, so the Guinness bounces on top. The raspberry malt bleeds all the way through, greatly enhancing the color and overall flavor of the finished product.

Chocolate Covered Raspberry
3/4 pint Young's Double Chocolate Stout
1/4 pint Floris Framboise (a raspberry Belgian beer)

Featured at the English Cellar Alehouse on Angell Street in Providence.

Banana Split
3/4 pint Young's Double Chocolate Stout
1/4 pint Well's Banana Bread Beer

This drink can currently be found on the menu at Doherty's Irish Pub on East Ave. in Pawtucket.

Slammers and Sloe Gin

Alabama Slammer

1 oz sloe gin
1 oz Peachtree schnapps
1 oz orange juice
1 oz cranberry juice

This drink should be shaken well with lots of ice to make sure that it's very cold and that the liqueurs fully blend together. Both the sloe gin and peach schnapps are thick, and the drink has a syrupy sweetness to it, almost like liquid candy. The Slammer, which hardly tastes like alcohol, was a very popular feminine drink in the south during the 1960s.

Sloe gin is made from blackthorn plums, also called sloe berries. Despite it's name, it has none of the characteristics of actual gin. It is thick, sweet, and red in color. Containing only 15-30% ABV, it will most likely be found in the liqueur and cordial section of your liquor store.

Another recipe that makes use of sloe gin is the Sloe Gin Fizz. A fizz is an alcoholic drink that must contain both sour mix and soda. They were extremely popular in America between 1900 and the 1940s. The Sloe Gin Fizz, in particular, made a comeback in the late '80s when it was mentioned in the Aerosmith song "Rag Doll" which is from their 1987 album Permanent Vacation.

Sloe Gin Fizz
1 oz sloe gin
2 oz sour mix
top off w/ Sprite

Shake the sloe gin and sour mix, and pour over ice. Add the Sprite and serve.