Summer Shandy Koufax – Saturday Sips

As the Boys in Blue take on the Brewers this weekend, it’s a perfect time for a cold one.  We might be under a heatwave here in Los Angeles, but the Summer Shandy Koufax is here to save the day!  This is a sweet, refreshing beer cocktail with surprising depth that packs a punch out.

Yes, you can just buy a “shandy” beer, but a true shandy is a mixed beer drink that has origins in both England and Germany.  In fact, the shandygaff was created in about the same time and in the same way as American organized baseball.  I.E., no one’s really sure where it came from but it boy howdy did it become popular by the mid 19th century.

Today’s beer-based cocktail is considered a Summer Shandy because it uses lemonade.  We have a specific recommendation on how to make a very tasty one, but really any wheat beer and sweet fruit or ginger-based fizzy cola can work.  We also suggest using a dash of orange bitters to add a depth of flavor to the sweetness.

STARTING LINEUP

One 12 oz can Golden Road Melon Cart Wheat Ale

One 12 oz bottle IZZE Sparkling Lemonade

Orange Bitters – We used ANGOSTURA Orange Bitters 

One lemon, sliced

serves 2

BATTING ORDER

Slice up lemon into half-inch sections.  Squeeze the juice of one slice into each cup, careful to remove seeds.  Set a couple slices aside for garnish.  Add two dashes of Orange Bitters into each glass.  Divide the Wheat Ale into the two pint glasses, 6 oz each.  Carefully pour the Sparkling Lemonade in, again splitting the drink in half.  You’ll get a foam head here, so pour carefully.

Once the lemonade is in, you’re ready to sip!

Want a boost without the booze?  You can use unsweet tea instead of beer for what we’ll call a Paul Arnold, after the Negro League player who played two seasons for the Newark Dodgers in the 1930’s. The Newark Dodgers merged with the Brooklyn Eagles to become the Newark Eagles, the team that first signed MLB Dodger legend Don Newcombe.

No word on if Paul Arnold ever actually mixed tea and lemonade, though…

Be sure to try our Rally Lemonade for another sweet summer treat!

And remember: Drink your Summer Shandy Koufax responsibly!