It’s Bitter to be Hoppy

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 45 ml Irish Whiskey
(Or preferably, Auchentoshan American Oak single malt scotch whisky)
- 15 ml Aperol
- 7,5 ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 75 ml IPA Beer
- 6 dashes Lemon Bitters
(I used home-made Citrus Bitters)

GARNISH:
- Lemon Twist

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass.
• Add ice and stir for 30-45 sec. or approx. 60 revolutions.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cocktail author: Robin Nance and Master Cicerone Pat Fahey.

Beer cocktails are kind of outcasts of the cocktail world: somewhat misunderstood and often divisive. Whichever the case, it is a world certainly worth exploring. It’s Bitter to be Hoppy is a recipe that pushes the limits of beer cocktails to a new level.

Bitter herbaceous and hoppy qualities of IPA lay the solid foundation for the cocktail which are then paired with healthy dose of whiskey. I did not have the recommended scotch for this cocktail. However, triple distilled Irish whiskey makes a rather suitable substitute, staying honest to the distillation process of the preferred whiskey used to make this drink. Lighter and fruiter notes of the Irish whiskey allows it to blend seamlessly with bitter-sweet orange notes of Aperol and bitter-tart notes of grapefruit. All of these ingredients draw on the tasting notes of the beer creating a new whole stitched together with a few dashes of lemon or, in my case, citrus bitters.

It’s Bitter to be Hoppy is delightful, perhaps, slightly unusual experiment. It might not win over all beer cocktail sceptics, but it is a step in to really tasty direction.

Source material:
https://www.foodandwine.com/it-s-bitter-to-be-hoppy-7501784