AUSTRIAN RESTAURATEUR OFFERS BEER-BASED COCKTAILS

Margarita, mojito, caipirinha - name a classic cocktail and you can find a recipe with beer. They taste fruity and tart, refreshing, and, depending on the bartender's imagination, you can serve them up as beergaritas, beer mojitos or caibeerinhas, Ulrike Geist wrote for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Austrian restaurateur Karl Schiffner, a specialist in beers, says he, for one, appreciates the diversity of beer cocktails. The fresh and punchy mixes are a pleasure to drink, from appetizing aperitifs to after-dinner drinks, he says. For an aperitif, he mixes pilsner lager with herbal essences and a bitter liqueur like Campari. He also likes to mix a "posh shandy" in a champagne flute with equal parts beer and quality champagne.

 If you prefer a dark beer, he suggests combining a porter with a sparkling wine like an Austrian Zweigelt, then adding a dash of blackcurrant juice - and then you have what Schiffner calls a "Beer Royale." And if you prefer Aperol to Campari, Schiffner recommends making a version with a pale ale for a fresher, fruitier mix. "It's important not to shake beer cocktails, as this results in too much foam," says Schiffner.

According to Schiffner, the basic rule is to combine light beers with light spirits and to pair dark beers with darker beverages. For example, cognac, rum or a dark liqueur goes well with a dark beer. For an after-dinner drink, Schiffner recommends a beery version of caipirinha with a Belgian wheat beer, in addition to the classic caipirinha ingredients. He also recommends mixing a classic mojito with a wheat beer.

The Financial District would like to learn more from its audience. Can you please give us feedback on this article you just read. Click Here to participate in our online survey.