Refajo (Colombiana Pitcher Cocktail)
Crisp and bittersweet, this Colombian lager-based cocktail is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon around the grill.
MAKES 1 PITCHER
Ingredients
1 liter Colombiana soda
6 oz. aguardiente
3 (12-oz.) bottles pale lager, preferably Aguila or Club Colombia
Lime wedges, for garnish
Orange wedges, for garnish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a chilled pitcher; do not stir. Serve over ice and garnish with additional lime and orange wedges, if you like.
French Monaco
The classic beer cocktail, popular with French kids, gets a mature makeover.
MAKES 1 COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
1½ oz. pomegranate syrup
2 oz. lemonade
6 oz. pale lager, preferably Stella Artois
INSTRUCTIONS
In an ice-filled shaker, syrup and lemonade; shake vigorously and strain into a chilled beer glass. Top with beer.
FOR THE POMEGRANATE SYRUP
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
½ cup sugar
Bring juice and sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute; let cool.
FOR THE LEMONADE
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Stir to combine.
The Snakebite
The Snakebite—equal parts hard cider and stout—works best with a crisp, dry cider.
MAKES 1 DRINK
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. hard cider
8 oz. stout beer
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the cider into a pint glass. Very slowly pour the stout over the back of a wide bar spoon, so that the beer sits on top of the cider.
Michelada Bloody Mary
Our contributing editor Rick Bayless suggested this recipe for a bloody mary made with beer, citrus, and tequila.
The Pledge
In this easy-drinking beer cocktail, the concentrated raisin flavor of the sherry, the honeyed quality of the Benedictine liqueur, and the oatmeal stout add up to something like “breakfast in a glass,” according to Boelte. (This would, in fact, make a great brunch drink.) A sprinkling of sweet, spicy nutmeg seems completely appropriate in this context.
1 oz. Lustau East India sherry
.5 oz. Benedictine
Sixpoint oatmeal stout
Grated nutmeg
Stir sherry and Benedictine and pour into a pilsner glass. Top with stout and garnish with grated nutmeg.
The Mr Adams
This richly-hued beer-based cocktail, built on Sam Adams’s yeasty, fruity, fizzy Infinium brew, has a slow burn thanks to a rich black pepper syrup. It was developed by Jill Shulster of New York’s JoeDoe, who tells us that her goal in crafting this drink was to allow the beer’s rich flavor to show through, while balancing its high-alcohol intensity with sweet and spicy flavors. Note that the black pepper syrup requires at least a full day to steep; this is a drink that calls for planning ahead. If you don’t have Infinium on hand, substitute a full-bodied wheat beer..
MAKES ONE DRINK
Ingredients
FOR THE BLACK PEPPER SYRUP
4 tbsp. fresh-ground black pepper, separated
1 cup sugar
About 6 oz. Sam Adams Infinium beer
½ oz. apple cider
¼ oz. fresh lemon juice
Thin strip of lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
1. Make the black pepper syrup: Bring 2 tbsp. black pepper, sugar, and 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and allow mixture to steep for 10 minutes. Strain out solids using cheesecloth and discard. Add remaining 2 tbsp. black pepper to the infused syrup and allow to steep, covered, overnight and up to 24 hours. Strain again and discard solids. The finished syrup should be a rich black in color, with only a few tiny particles of pepper. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
2. Fill a glass halfway with beer. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, thoroughly shake 1 oz. black pepper syrup, cider, and lemon juice. Strain mixture into the beer. Run the lemon zest around the rim of the glass to release the oils.
Tex-Mex Michelada
MAKES 1 DRINK
This is the classic Tex-Mex beer cooler.
1 lime wedge
Kosher salt, to taste
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1⁄2 tsp. worcestershire
1⁄8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 dashes Tabasco
1 12-oz. bottle or can of Mexican beer,
such as Tecate
1. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a pint glass; dip rim in salt. Add lime juice, worcestershire, pepper, and Tabasco; fill glass with ice and beer.
Michelada
Mexican lager is refreshing on a hot beach day. Mixed with ingredients usually associated with the bloody mary, it’s even more restorative.
MAKES ONE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chile powder
1 lime wedge
2 oz. tomato juice
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. hot sauce
2 dashes Maggi seasoning
1 chilled 12-oz. bottle Mexican lager
1 pickled jalapeño, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine salt and chile powder in a small dish; set aside. Run 1 lime wedge around the rim of a tall beer glass; dip rim into salt mixture.
2. Add remaining ingredients to the glass and stir gently to combine. Garnish with pickled jalapeño to serve.
Michelada con Camarones (Spicy Beer Cocktail with Shrimp)
This spicy cantina favorite makes an excellent appetizer and thirst-quencher on a hot summer night.
MAKES 4 DRINKS
INGREDIENTS
24 cooked, peeled shrimp
2 ¼ cups Clamaato juice
½ cup lime juice, plus extra for glass rims
¼ cup fresh orange orange juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic
½ serrano chile, stemmed
4 lager beers
chile powder, for dusting glass rims and shrimp
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour some lime juice on a plate and chili powder on another; dip rims of 4 pint-size beer mugs in juice, then chili powder. Dip tops of shrimp in chili powder; set aside. Purée Clamato juice, lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, garlic, and serrano chile in a blender. Divide among mugs, and fill with ice; top each with a lager beer. Place 6 shrimp each on 4 skewers; place a skewer across each mug.
Chavela (Mexican Beer with Tomato Juice)
A classic version of a Mexican cerveza preparada (prepared beer), the chavela couldn’t be simpler: tomato juice, hot sauce, beer, lemon, and ice, with a salted rim. Drink it on its own, or pair it with a shot of tequila for a real kick.
MAKES ONE COCKTAIL
Ingredients
Lemon wedge
Kosher salt, for rimming the glass
3 oz. tomato juice
6 dashes hot sauce, like Tabasco or Cholula
12 oz. bottle light-bodied Mexican beer, like Corona
1.5 oz. tequila (optional)
Instructions
Rub the lemon wedge around the rim of a glass; reserve the lemon wedge. Pour some sea salt out onto a plate, and rub the rim of the glass in the salt to coat. Fill the glass with ice, add tomato juice, hot sauce, and beer to fill. Drop in the lemon wedge. Serve with a shot of tequila, if you like.
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