I'm not talking about those old-style slammers favored by Brits, who - depending on one's viewpoint - either flavor their bland lager with ginger ale or spike their soda with beer and call it a Shandy. These new drinks are beer plus booze plus a flavor - like the Nut and Honey at Essex Public House in Hollywood. It's made with AleSmith Nautical Nut Brown Ale, Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur, Frangelico hazelnut liqueur and honey syrup. Or the Belga at the Belga Café in Washington, D.C.: St. Louis Peche lambic, Hangar One lime vodka, Creme de Peche and Rose's Lime Juice. Or Curious Georgia at Smokin' Betty's (11th and Sansom, Center City): Allagash White plus peach schnapps with a slice of peach in ginger syrup.
Other than finally finding a use for all those multicolored bottles of flavored liqueurs that are usually collecting dust on the bottom shelf at most bars, what accounts for the trend?
Terry Berch McNally, who runs London Grill (23rd and Fairmount, Art Museum), recently added a lineup of beer cocktails, among them the Flower Bud: creme de violette, elderberry liqueur and Budweiser. Adolphus Busch just rolled over in his crypt. Why would anyone foul the flavor created by professional brewers?
"Why not?" McNally replied. "I mean, these days brewers are putting all kinds of stuff into their beer. Why can't I?"
She has a point. Craft brewers make beer with everything from fruit to nuts. Even the Germans, who have laws forbidding the use of improper ingredients, stir herbal woodruff syrup into their Berliner Weisse. But traditional cocktails are designed to mask the alcoholic flavor of spirits. Beer can stand on its own, right?
That was one opinion voiced last May by hard core aficionados who each month participate in Beer Blogging Friday, an online "tasting" of various styles. When they tackled beer cocktails, several opted out, repulsed by the whole idea.
