Ultimate beer mash ups

At home: The best way to improve the taste of a cheap beer is
to mix it with a quality beer. Take Fruli, the Belgian
strawberry beer, and put a shot in a king can of Alpine Max. It
becomes alcopop. Likewise, add strong ginger beer or a dash of lime
cordial into some Wildcat, now that’s a taste of summer. The
greatest take on the shandy is our Neon Cowboy: Get a forty of
Colt 45 and a jug of lemon-lime Gatorade. Synthesize these two
caricatures of beer and juice together. Squirt a hefty shot of Gator in
a glass and top off with malty liquor. Cowboy, I wish I knew how to
quit you. Snakebite: the UK drink favoured by teens who drink in
parks because this cocktail’s banned from British bars now. We’re going
to nice this up for home use. Fill half a glass with Propeller
Pilsner and mix it with Tideview local cider, now sold in
individual-sized bottles.

Play FAXE hands: Take one punk rocker. Duct
tape one can of strong FAXE 10% beer firmly into each hand. Tape
them mitts solid. Make the punk drink ’em and don’t let those hands
free until each can is finished. This is a foul experience. FAXE tastes
worse as it gets warm, so there is a time consideration to this drink
bomb.

Go out: Stout and cider can be a great combo. The Foggy
Goggle (1667 Argyle) calls theirs a Tiara. The Goggle layers
Guinness over Du Minot cider on tap. Du Minot is a
great dry cider made in Quebec and distributed by McAuslan. The apple
flavour grows as you work through the glass. The Black and Tan is another layered drink using two heavy beers. It looks like a bruise
and tastes even better. Try this one at the Henry House (1222
Barrington), where they mix Keefe’s Stout with their Best
Bitter. Durty Nelly’s does it 100 percent Irish with
Guinness and Harp lager. Go for a Black
Velvet—stout and champagne was Cary Grant’s drink of choice,
you stylish tippler—at Fizz Champagne Bar (1566 Argyle) where
they mix Guinness and Jacob’s Creek sparkling wine.

Catch up: If you had to work late, or have supper with your
parents before, then you go out to join your friends, you need an
equalizer. Go to Mosaic (1584 Argyle). Ask Cooper Tardivel for
an Atomic Bomb: A 14oz glass with half a Corona, an ounce
of Jaegermeister and an ounce of citrus vodka, topped up with
Red Bull. Skull it down in one go. Tardivel says that works
every time.

Sunday: The Bloodshot Eye is our brunch version of the
classic Red Eye to get you out of the fetal postion. This
involves ice, Garrison Jalapeno Ale, Clamato and celery salt
around the edge of the glass. The silkiness comes from the Clamato. Add
more spice with some Tabasco or Worcestershire Sauce. (The usual raw
egg is optional.) It’s a commitment to another day of drinking. Oh, and
to add to the heat, try some popcorn pepperoni, inspired by a treat at
Moncton’s Pumphouse Brewpub. Breaded, deep-fried Brother’s
pepperoni. That’s a hangover cure.

This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.