From Wimbledon to the Open at St. Andrews, the Summer months are always jam-packed with some of the most prestigious events of the year. But of course, beating them all is the much-anticipated International Beer Day, held each year on the first Friday of August. This celebration started back in 2007 on the West Coast, but has since spread across the globe and is now celebrated in over 200 cities.
From the depths of the muggy Amazon, to the baron wastelands of Siberia, people everywhere come together for a day of foamy, hop-based glory. With that in mind, how better to honour this modern tradition than by gulping sipping your way through a delectable beer-based cocktail? Here's a list of London's top 5 beer-based concoctions, mixed and flaired by award winning mixologists and the finest beer connoisseurs.
Michelada
Inspired by the vibrant, sun-baked streets of Wahaca, Café Pacifico serves up mouth-watering Mexican dishes and ice-cold, flavoursome cocktails for it's eager guests. The Michelada is as fiery as the hot, Latin American sun. Produced using Corona beer, freshly squeeze limes, blood-red tomato juice and a disconcerting amount of Tabasco and Worcester Sauce, this eye-opening creation will certainly put a few extra hairs on your chest. The explosive spice and heat brilliantly tussles with the refreshing flavours of the ice-cold beer and lime, producing a truly intriguing sensation on the palate.
The Michelada is a Mexican classic that packs a potent punch.
Marmite Black Velvet Cocktail
Born in 1861, the Black Velvet was originally produced to mourn the death of Prince Albert. Don't be fooled by the drink's simple ingredients of sparkling wine, chilled stout and potent marmite; it's deceptively tricky to build. When perfectly produced, the differing densities of each spirit gives the mixture a sullen, joyless appearance. The dark, storm cloud like stout sits delicately below the lighter, off-white sparkling wine and head at the top of the champagne flute. Fading from dark to light, the gentle incline of colour and bitter taste of this cocktail will certainly linger. The talented mixologists at Duck & Waffle seem to have cracked it.
Intriguingly dark, the clouds of mystery surrounding this beverage are almost as thick as the ice-cold stout used to create the drink.
Lagerita
The team at Meatliquor have never shied away from a creative challenge. Their food and drinks menu is bursting full of wonderfully weird flavour combinations and somehow manages to combine even the most bizarre ingredients into a delicious blend. Combining Ocho Blanco tequila and freshly squeezed lime juice, topped off with ice-cold Budvar in a sugar-frosted glass, The Lagerita has quickly become one of their most popular Summer drinks. Exquisitely refreshing and with a delectable aftertaste, the cool, refreshing citrus flavour of this cocktail makes it the perfect antidote after a day spent roasting in the exhausting city sun.
The team at Meatliquor have really produced something special here.
Blood on Whose Hands
With a tantalising selections of craft beers, the team behind Brewdog in Shoreditch have taken their knowledge of flavoursome brews and applied it to the classic Bloody Mary. The fruity taste of Henderson's Relish sauce is mixed together with house-smoked tomato juice. Balancing out the eye-opening spice, single-malt Yamazaki and Hardcore IPA are added to give the mixture more of a peaty taste. Perfect for a hair-of-the-dog pick me up, the potent spice will definitely tingle your tastebuds.
A Bloody Mary has never been so charmingly enticing.
Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew
Somewhere between a ginger beer and a shandy, this delectable cocktail was created by the mastermind behind theHawksmoor's dynamic cocktail list, Shaky Pete. The mixture itself explodes straight off the palate. Created by combining Beefeater gin, lemon juice, a home-made ginger syrup and a healthy pouring of London Pride ale, the tangy, citrus taste of the lemon and ginger delicately balances with the sharp flavours of the gin. With a memorable aftertaste and a suave demeanour, the Ginger Brew perfectly epitomises everything the Hawksmoor stands for.
Created by arguably the most talented mixologist in the capital, Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew will leave you wanting more.
