The Daily Tippler

What’s more New York then Brunch… not much. Enjoy this Beer Based Bloody Mary Recipe from Buttermilk Channel.

The Otis

-2 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
-6 oz. Bloody Mary Mix*
-Six Point Otis Stout to top

Combine Whiskey and Mix in a Pint Glass over Ice. Top with Stout.

*I do not have The Buttermilk channel recipe for Bloody Mary Mix so here is my own:
-28 oz. Tomato Juice
-4 oz. Frank’s Red Hot
-1 oz. Clam Juice
-1 oz Lemon Juice
-2 Tablespoons Green Olives
Mix all ingredients in a Pitcher and chill. Yields 6 Drinks.

One thing people love about beer is ordering it by the pitcher; so here is a beer cocktail that won’t disappoint.

Cherry Ale Sangria

Adapted from “The Beerbistro Cookbook”

-1 bottle (11 or 12 ounces) Belgian cherry (kriek) ale
-1 bottle (11 or 12 ounces) strong Belgian ale
-3/4 ounce Cointreau
-3/4 ounce brandy
-3 to 4 slices each, orange, lemon, lime
-5 ounces ginger ale
-5 ounces soda water

Place generous amount of ice cubes in pitcher. Pour in ales, spirits and fruit. Stir, mashing fruit as you go. Top with ginger ale and soda water, adding more ice if needed to fill pitcher. Stir and serve.

All though we got pretty complex yesterday, and I promise we will again later this week, most classic Beer based cocktails are pretty basic. As we saw on Monday you can combine Beer with a little something extra to spice it up and give it some heft. The Trilingual Belgian is really based on something the Belgians have been doing or years; adding flavored liqueurs to their excellent beers. The Black Velvet dates black to London in the latter half of the 1800’s. I’d go with a Champagne or Sparkling Wine somewhere in the mild, not to sweet or dry.

Black Velvet:

-5 oz. Champagne or Sparkling Wine
-5 oz. Guinness or Stout

Half fill a Collins glass with Stout and pour the Wine over the back of a spoon into the glass.

There are a couple of reasons, at least I think, why Beer Cocktails are catching on lately. Mainly because of the increased number of artisanal beers available. But also, in a culture awash in high alcohol cocktails, people are sometimes looking for something a little lighter.  Lighter  you say… but beer is so heavy and bloating! But it is lower in alcohol; and here is a nice light one that uses a Pale Ale. Courtesy of Jill Schulster at JoeDoe in the East Village:

The Hipster BBQ

-1 1/2 oz. Vodka
-3 oz. Pale Ale
-1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
-5 Shakes Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
-1 Tablespoon Lime Zest

Combine Vodka, Lime Juice, Lime Zest & Lawry’s in  shaker over ice. Strain into a pilsner glass fill with ice and top with ale, pouring slowly. Garnish with Lime Zest and Lawry’s.

To further embellish Friday’s Beer Shake, and to piggy back on a New York Times Article from last Wednesday, I’ll be offering Beer based Cocktails all week long. Beer cocktails are swiftly growing in popularity as Beer Sommeliers and Bartenders readopt a practice that his been around for centuries. The Cocktail on offer to day is one I came up with myself:

The Trilingual Belgian:

-10 oz. Leffe Blonde
-1/2 oz. Creme de Cassis
-1/2 oz. Antica Formulae Vermouth

Combine Cassis and vermouth in a cocktail shaker over ice. Pour beer into a chilled pint glass and strain liquors into it. Garnish with a cherry.

The recent cocktail revival we have seen has generally focused on pre-prohibition drinks and aesthetics, so the Blender is understandably missing from your local speakeasy. Apart from the Tiki camp the usefulness of the Blender in the modern bar is still questioned. What follows here is bound to make any classical bartender cringe, but I really can’t think of anything more fitting for the 4th of July. As popularized by the now defunct Brooklyn restaurant Schnack…

The Beer Shake:

-3 oz. Stout (i.e. Guinness)
-3 oz. Ice Cream (Chocolate or Vanilla)

Combine ingredients in a blender and pour into a pint glass. Serve with a straw.

With Memorial day coming up next Monday I thought I would offer drinks to serve at your BBQ’s all week long. My aim here is to spice up your parties and hopefully impress your friends and neighbors. Well we finally made it; the holiday weekend is only hours away. Today I give you that Frat Party classic the Skip & Go Naked. But seriously, all negative connotations aside, Gin & Beer are probably the two things most imbibed for refreshment on a hot summers day -all though I would make a strong case for Brandy & Mint- so why not combine them. The big question is what Gin, what Beer? you can really have a lot of fun with this. Conventional wisdom says Lager with Dry Gin and this is great. But how about Hendricks and Leffe Blonde or Genever with a Lambic or Framboise; the later will be tasty but not refreshing.  Anyway, here’s to hoping Monday is a hot summer’s day!

Skip & Go Naked:

-1 1/2 oz. Gin
-1 oz. Lemon Juice
-1 Teaspoon Sugar
-Beer to Fill

Add Gin, Sugar and Lemon Juice to a beer glass and fill halfway with ice. Stir it. Add Beer to Fill. Garnish with a lemon wedge.