Welcome 2016 with one of these beer cocktails. Some are fresh, some funky, others earthy and complex. All of them are sure to brighten your New Year’s celebration and first day of January.
SangrIPA
Mix up a fresh batch of sangria to serve as your New Year’s Eve punch. Add some IPA and a bit of Harissa to give it a spicy, hoppy kick. This recipe has been adapted from the Stir and Strain blog, found at stirandstrain.com.
Ingredients
½ tsp Harissa
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz (237 ml) tomato juice
6 oz (177 ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
4 oz (118 ml) freshly squeezed juice from about 2 oranges
1½ oz (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 oz (59 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
Dash of agave syrup
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, or another citrus-forward India Pale Ale like Odell Brewing’s IPA
Whisk together Harissa, black pepper and tomato juice. Add grapefruit juice, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and agave syrup. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours. After refrigeration, add IPA as needed to taste. IPA can be added to the entire punch, or you can use this punch as a base and guests can add their own IPA. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
Beers Knees
The mixologists at Portland, Oregon’s House Spirits Distillery recommend a beer cocktail that’s perfect for celebrating the new year. It’s bright, bubbly, and effervescent enough that after toasting the new year, there’s a good chance you’ll want to make it as a springtime cooler or a summer porch pounder.
Ingredients
1½ oz (45 ml) gin
1 oz (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 oz (30 ml) honey syrup (1:1 honey and water)
3 oz (89 ml) Tröegs DreamWeaver, or another unfiltered, German-style wheat beer such as Dry Dock’s Hefeweizen or Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis
1 Lemon wedge for garnish
Combine gin, juice, and honey syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a collins glass with or without ice. Top with beer and garnish with lemon.
The Beer Diplomat
The Beer Diplomat cocktail was originally created by Yanni Kehagiaras of San Francisco's Nopa restaurant. He combined stout with rum and sherry to wow the judges in a beer-cocktail competition. This surprising cocktail is a great way to start the party or a nice digestif after midnight. We’ve adapted the recipe to boost its brightness.
Ingredients
2 Tbs (1 oz/30 ml) mild dark rum, such as Diplomatico, chilled
1 Tbs (1/2 oz/15 ml) Pedro Ximénez sherry, chilled
12 Tbs (6 oz/177 ml) Left Hand Brewing’s Milk Stout or another sweet stout such as Beachwood Brewery & BBQ’s Udder Love Stout or Tallgrass Brewing’s Buffalo Sweat Stout, chilled
Dash of Angostura bitters
In a small shaker glass, combine rum, sherry, stout, and bitters. No shaking is required if all of the ingredients are chilled in advance. Serve immediately. Bonus points if your garnish is rum-soaked cherries.
Bloody Pilsner
It’s January first, and you drank a couple of beer cocktails last night. Of course you’d like a hair of the dog, but much like all activities after New Year’s, you want creating that cocktail to require minimal effort. Replace the hard alcohol in your morning Bloody Mary with crisp pilsner and voilà! You’ve got yourself a remedy in the form of one more beer cocktail.
Ingredients
3 cup (24 oz/710 ml) tomato juice
2 cup (16 oz/473 ml) Firestone Walker Pivo Pils, or another crisp pilsner like Epic Brewing’s Hop Syndrome or Victory Brewing’s Prima Pils.
1 tsp of hot sauce
1½ tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tbs (1½ oz/45 ml) lime juice
3 Tbs (1½ oz/45 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp horseradish
1 cup (8 oz/237 ml) pickle juice
Celery stalks, olives, crispy bacon, and any other garnishes of choice
Mix or blend all ingredients and garnish with your favorite Bloody Mary toppings.
Happy New Year from Craft Beer & Brewing! Have a safe and hoppy holiday.