Audio By Carbonatix
Last week I had to interview another local food writer for an upcoming project. He suggested we meet at Union Bear and I jumped on it. It was a warm, sunny day, and I remembered their killer indoor/outdoor bar.
Sitting outside with the sun at my back and a cool breeze pouring through the West Village, I worked my way through a few of the local taps. Deep Ellum had a blonde I liked much better than their hyper-hoppy Dream Crusher. Then there was a Great Scot from Peticolas that was rich brown and malty. With the weather this nice I would have liked to work my way through as many taps as I could. Except I was working.
Enter the shandy.
When the bartender pulled open a plastic container of lemonade spiked with rosemary, I jumped and asked him if he’d make me a shandy with it. Every culture has its own methods for diluting alcohol. I’ve already written about my steadfast affection for the michelada, which I still believe to be the greatest beer cocktail of all time. But the shandy should enjoy some time in the spotlight too.
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Union Bear’s version isn’t on the menu, but if you ask nicely I’m sure they’ll come up with something similar. Mine was lemony with a hint of herbs and vaguely effervescent. You can make them with lemonade, or any sweet neutral soda (Sprite works) and a light crisp beer with a simple flavor profile. You can drink these all day if they aren’t too sweet.
Come to think of it, today’s a good day for it. The Devils are taking on Manchester City shortly. A shandy and a flat-screen would go perfect together.
