Blackberry Ginger Shandy

Like most Americans, the concept of the shandy is still very new, and if I’m being honest, foreign.  You see the drink itself originated in Europe, and for some odd reason never really caught on here in the states.  You have the “radler” in Germany, the “panaché” in France, while the term shandy itself comes from our good old friends the Brits. Thankfully this is starting to change because the shandy is a great drink to beat the summer heat.

But what exactly is a shandy anywho?   Well, in its most basic form a shandy is just one part light beer and one part lemonade.  Now I should make it clear that when a European recipe calls for lemonade they aren’t referring to the classic lemonade we know and love here in the states.  No no no. What they are actually referring to is a lemon-flavored carbonated soda, or basically a 7 up. What you end up with is a drink that won’t really get you drunk, but that is great at keeping you cool and refreshed.  It’s basically the perfect option for day drinking.

Now today’s shandy is going to be my little twist on the classic cocktail, starting with the addition of some fresh blackberries.  Why blackberries? Well, I just like them, it’s really that simple. The other change I’ve made to the classic shandy recipe is to swap out the “lemonade”, sorry brits I’ll never get used to saying that,  and replacing it with ginger ale. The reason for this is because ginger ale tends to be less sweet which will help balance out the drink from the addition of the blackberries.  

Tips, Tricks, & Suggestions

• What beer to use with a shandy?  Basically, any type of light beer will work such as lager, pilsner, wheat, and pale ale.
• While you can make a big batch of this at once I wouldn’t recommend it.  One of the best aspects of a shandy is the carbonation, so drink it quickly or else you will lose it.
• If you do want to make this a little stronger then try adding in a shot of your favorite liquor.

Blackberry Ginger Shandy Recipe

Total time: 2 minutes

Servings: 2 tall glasses

Ingredients

12 oz bottle/can of Light beer

1 Can of ginger ale

Fresh blackberries

Fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. Add 4 blackberries to your glass along with 3 to 4 mint leaves.  Then use a muddler to muddle both of these ingredients until all of the blackberries are mashed.

2. Fill the glass up with half beer and half ginger ale.  Then use a spoon and quickly stir everything together.

3. Enjoy your blackberry ginger shandy responsibly.

Print Recipe

Blackberry Ginger Shandy Recipe

Servings: 2

Equipment

• muddler

Ingredients

• 12 oz bottle/can of Light beer
• 1 Can of ginger ale
• Fresh blackberries
• Fresh mint leaves

Instructions

• Add 4 blackberries to your glass along with 3 to 4 mint leaves. Then use a muddler to muddle both of these ingredients until all of the blackberries are mashed.
• Fill the glass up with half beer and half ginger ale. Then use a spoon and quickly stir everything together.
• Enjoy your blackberry ginger shandy responsibly.

Inspiration from other blogs

From Cristina’s Cucina

From The Spruce Eats