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SCANDINAVIAN TRAVELER | DRINKS | BEER COCKTAILS
C
ocktails made with beer have been
around for a while. The Black Velvet
– half stout (often Guinness) and
half champagne – is a classic said
to have been invented in 1861 by a
London bartender in honor of the
late Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. “Even
the champagne should be in mourning dress,” goes
the legend.
These days, beer is more popular than ever.
Micro breweries are popping up all over the place,
and most people know exactly what kind of beer
they are after.
What’s more, bartenders are increasingly experimenting
with beer in cocktails, using it as a base for
so-called “beertails” to give the classics a different,
exciting touch.
MAKE YOUR
OWN BEERTAIL
Beer turns a traditional cocktail into something
exciting and different. Several beer
cocktails are derivatives of traditional cocktail
recipes, such as the beer margarita made with
lime juice, tequila, and a light lager, and served
in a glass with a salted rim. Or a Caipbeerinha:
cachaça, sugar, lime, and light lager.
Remember: Lagers bring bubbles and a light
sweetness to the mix, while malt beer goes
great with whiskey. Use either a fresh hop
beer or a distinct bitter in a drink, not both
together.
A beer martini,
SHAKEN
NOT STIRRED
Haven’t had a beertail yet Up your hip factor the next time you’re
at the bar by getting in a round of beers with a twist
By Gunilla Hultgren Karell Photos by Johanna Berglund
Duvel’s Powderday
Cocktail made with
Jack Daniel’s, calvados,
lemon, maple Syrup, and
Lindemans apple beer
It’s beertail
hour!
And then there’s that mainstay of the aprèsski
scene: the Jägerbomb, a shot of Jäger meister
dropped into a glass of beer.
The days of the humble shandy, a mixture of beer
and soda, are long gone. Today, beer is balanced
with all kinds of flavors – spirits, liqueurs, flavored
syrups, fruit, herbs, and distillates. And just like a
classic cocktail there should be an unexpected
twist.
Not just any old beer will do, of course. As with
most other things, the forerunners are hip, trendsetting
bars in San Francisco, London, and
New York.
B
artender Anders Bergengren is behind
the cocktail menu at Stockholm’s
Duvel Café. The list features a raft
of cocktails that have beer as their
base.
“We primarily use Belgian beers, and they’re
ideal for making cocktails,” Bergengren says. “Especially
the blond and fruit beers, which have a nice
acidity without much bitterness.”
Don’t the guests think you’re destroying the
beer by making drinks from it
“No, quite the opposite. Many people are curious
and want to try it out.”
Bergengren says the most popular beertail is the
Powderday Cocktail, a mixture of Jack Daniel’s,
calvados, and Lindemans apple beer – a Belgian
specialty beer flavored with apple juice. The Leroy
Collins , a mixture of gin and beer, is another
favorite with customers.
Where does the inspiration come from
“Travel. Without a doubt. It’s when you travel
and see the world that you are influenced and
inspired.”
SCANDINAVIAN TRAVELER | DECEMBER 2014
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