Beer Cocktails: A Different Summer Refresher

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STANDARD SUMMER DRINKS are often considered girly. Margaritas, daiquiris, mojitos, or any concoction sporting an umbrella could be seen as embarrassing for the person caught sipping it.

Luckily, there's an easy way to get less frou-frou refreshment: beer cocktails. They'll satisfy a drinker's needs and possibly win some curious looks from confused bartenders.

Try a little experiment. Walk into a bar and ask for a shandy. Chances are your bartender won't know what you're asking for. A common drink in English pubs, a shandy is a 50/50 combination of beer and British lemonade (a slightly dryer lemon-flavored soda). Variations on the theme exist throughout Europe. The shandygaff is a mix of beer and ginger beer or ginger ale, while a diesel shandy is a mix of beer and cola. In Germany, a version of the shandy with lager is called a Radler (German for cyclist). An enterprising beer garden owner who was running out of beer decided to mix it with soda with the excuse that it would enable bicyclists to make it home in one piece.

So when you explain your order to the bartender, ask for a lighter ale, perhaps a wheat beer like a Hefeweizen. Since plenty of Bell's brews are on tap around the city, a great choice is Bell's Oberon. At Central, ask that it be mixed with a combination of their fresh lemonade and Sprite for a delightful and slightly tart drink.

A Mexican version of a shandy might be the chelada, pictured above. It has a good deal more freshly-squeezed lime than the typical slice in your Corona as well as a dash of salt and pepper. If a Bloody Mary is more your speed, you can try a michelada. A basic michelada is a combination of tomato juice, cerveza, lime juice, and Worcestershire or Maggi sauce. It is also common to add a few dashes of hot sauce. Some bars may use Bloody Mary mix for the tomato juice or sangrita — tomato juice and orange juice, with a dash of lime and chilies.

Casa Oaxaca in Adams Morgan has the chelada and two varieties of michelada on their bar menu. They have the basic michelada which uses Bloody Mary mix, freshly-squeezed lime juice, Worcestershire and Maggi sauce and a few drops of Tabasco, and is topped off with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. There is also the Bloody Mary michelada, which is simply the Bloody Mary mix with cerveza. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can ask for a michelada with Clamato. Spicy, briny and slightly acidic, this combination will leave a pucker in your mouth and a lingering tingle on your lips.

Next time you crave a summer drink and you're looking for something other than the usual frozen drinks or gin and tonics, try a beer cocktail. If anything, you'll get the chance to make friends with the bartender as you explain what you want.

» Central Michel Richard, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 202-626-0015 (Metro Center, Archives/Navy Memorial)
» Casa Oaxaca, 2106 18th St NW, 202-387-2272

Story and photo by Jamie R. Liu for Express