Beer Cocktails Your Wisconsin Friends Will Love
Can’t decide whether to have a mixed drink or a beer? Why not both? They’re called “mixed drinks” for a reason! But make sure to keep all the different flavor notes playing nicely with each other. If you’d like some help with that, allow us to be your introduction to the world of beer cocktails!
We love being a craft spirit creator in a state that’s mostly known for its craft beer (and cheese too of course!). There’s a passionate, knowledgeable community of breweries and distilleries here, all drawn together by a mutual love of liquid libation. Kind of like if all your friends lived in your neighborhood and supported each other. That’s certainly cause for celebration!
Why not bring the neighborhood together for a fun, fizzy block party? We love seeing how Northern Oasis Spirits pair with local beers, and we want to share a few beer-based cocktails with you.
Let’s start with a batch big enough for a small gathering…
Of course Wisconsin craft spirits go well with Wisconsin beer!
Rasp-beer-y Cocktail
1 cup of Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 12 oz. bottles of Central Waters HHG Pale Ale, chilled
1 container frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
½ cup Lakeview Vodka
Fresh Lime slices or Raspberries for garnish (optional)
In a large container stir together the raspberries, beer, lemonade and vodka. Serve in an ice-filled glass garnished with lime slices or fresh raspberries. We recommend making ice cubes out of lemonade for something like this!
Speaking of summer drinks, who doesn’t love a good shandy? Whoever thought of pairing beer and lemonade was a genius! Of course, that just leads us to wonder what we can do to bump up that flavor a little with a…
Riverbank Shandy
1 ½ oz. Riverbank Spiced Rum
2 oz. Apple Cider
1 oz. Ginger Simple Syrup (See below)
½ oz. fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. New Glarus Brewing Co. Dancing Man Wheat beer
Fill a glass with ice, add all the ingredients, and enjoy! Oh, and that simple syrup is super easy to make…
Ginger Simple Syrup
Just add 2 cups sugar, ¼ cup of fresh ginger peels, 3 star anise and 8 cloves to 2 cups of water. Bring everything to a boil, then let it cool for a couple hours. Strain everything out and store in the fridge.
If all that seems like a lot to do on a hot day…it’s totally worth it. But we get it. Sometimes the air conditioning is out, or you just ducked in to grab some sunscreen and a drink, and you can’t miss one minute of our three-month-long Wisconsin summer. Here’s a quick & easy beer cocktail that’s perfect for hot summer days:
Shorewood Boilermaker
You know the drill—drop a shot of Shorewood Whiskey into your favorite pint of beer and see where the journey takes you! Shorewood is designed to be a smooth, soft-textured whiskey that’s perfect for everyday use. And it plays well with local beer!
You might find the smoothest road when pairing Shorewood with Central Waters Honey Blonde Ale or Point Brewery’s Classic Amber Lager. A more adventurous journey begins when you drop your shot of Shorewood into a pint of New Glarus Spotted Cow. Once you start flirting with Moon Man, things might get a little interesting.
No matter how you like to enjoy the Wisconsin beer and spirit scene, there’s so much in this amazing state to try! You can step into any bar, take any brewery tour, or just ask your local shop what good Wisconsin spirits they have in stock, and 99% of the time you’ll be impressed.
Not 100%? Well, we have to leave a margin of error for those Illinois boys, hey?