Up until a Memorial Day picnic a year ago, I had never encountered the concept of a beer cocktail. It had never even occurred to me that one would want to mix beer with something else. That was, until I walked up to a friend at the picnic and she said, "Hey, do you want a Lemonade Shandy?" I said sure, because I almost always say sure when someone offers me a drink, and walked with her to the makeshift bar (three coolers lined up under a tree). She popped a bottle of Yuengling Lager (the drinkable, inexpensive beer of choice in Philadelphia) and poured half it's contents into one of those big red plastic cups you always find at picnics and parties. She filled it the rest of the way up with sparkling lemonade, giving it a rough swirl in an attempt to combine and handed it over. There must have been a look of horror in my eyes as I took it, because she offered an encouraging, "Just taste it, it's really good, I swear." I took a sip and discovered that she was right. It was fantastic, as the lemonade took the middling lager to another level of goodness.
This week the food section of the Oregonian ran a feature on beer cocktails and the foods that go nicely with them. They've got a really comprehensive list of summer beer cocktail suggestions. I do believe that Hibiscus blossom is calling my name.
Photo courtesy Anush Wij
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