The venerable Shandy

Years ago, my wife (ex now, sadly; or, happily) came home with a mix from one of her horse shows she worked on as professional rider, trainer and instructor. It was a Shandy I was told. Being a beer/ale purist for the most part, I was horrified at what she told me. But she pointed out that I would drink Hefeweizen with lemon or Coronas with lime, so...she had to try it. So I did. Now, first of all, first time someone tried to give me beer with fruit, I was stunned and wasn't interested, until they pushed it and insisted; I tried it, and it was indeed, pretty cool. So my ex put part of a can of frozen pink lemonade into a pitcher and added a bunch of lager (we had Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) which I could take, but not any other Miller beer but that was a long time ago), but any lager will typically do. You have to blend to taste. We took it outside to the back yard on a hot day and sat and poured. It was strange at first but it grew on me by the time I finished my first glass. We drank that not very big Tupperware picture of the drink. We went through another and began to smile more broadly and had a fun time. It was very refreshing on such a balmy day. Years later, we had moved to where I live now still. My kids made new friends and my daughter made one friend of a family where the father was a doctor and an Irishman. One day when we were over at their house, I mentioned the shandy and he smiled. His take on it however was different. He said in Ireland they used 7-Up (or Sprite) mixed with Lager. I screwed up my face and he said, maybe it was an acquired taste but they liked it. We also talked about Guinness and how they were making cold Guinness which I figured was for the rather base American drinker who likes so much, watered down beers that HAVE to be chilled so the flavor is hidden as much as possible. Whereas beer served room temperature, has much flavor and so you don't WANT to chill it. My favorite temperature of Guinness is when you take your first sip and its room temperature, but there is almost a hint of coolness deep within the sip. Perfect! Getting back to the Shandy.... I have now been drinking it since about the mid 90s. Its a refreshing drink, gives you a little buzz (or big one if you're not careful or too long in the sun, or don't drink enough water on the side, remember, alcohol dehydrates you), and is generally fun and low alcohol content if done right, for those who like to imbibe but only slightly. So, give it a try, you might like it too. S handy on Wikipedia The Shandy, as known around the world: * Australia: o Portagaff is made with a 1:2 or 1:1 mixture of lemonade and stout. Particularly popular in South Australia. Sometimes called a Black Shandy. o Shandy is made with 1:2 or 1:1 mixture of lemonade and either light or heavy beer, most commonly lagers. * Austria: An Almradler is made with a 60/40 mix of popular Austrian Almdudler soda (a traditional Alpine herb drink that tastes a bit like a ginger ale) and pils or lager beer. A 50/50 blend is marketed by Puntigamer in bottles and cans. It is also popular in Bavarian Germany. * Bahamas: Local dialect pronounces Shandy as "Shanti" or "Shanty" (as in shanty town, where the ragamuffins live). * Belgium o Flanders: Kivela (Finnish > “land of stone”) A mixture of German lemonade and lager. Spavola (Italian > "bubbling water") a mixture of sparkling mineral water and lager. Mazout is a mixture of cola and lager. o Wallonia: Diabolo (“devil”), a lager mixed with mint or grenadine. o Brussels: Tango, dark beer with grenadine. * Canada: Black Shandy, a mixture of stout beer with lemon soda. Also described as a Guinness Shandy. (See also Australia: Portagaff). * Chile: Fan-schop, a mixture of draught beer with Fanta orange soda. * Colombia: Refajo, a mixture of lager beer with red cola-style soda like Kola Román or Colombiana. * France: A Monaco is a Panaché with Grenadine added. * Netherlands: A Snowwhite (sneeuwwitje) is a mixture of beer and 7 Up. * Japan: Shandygaff, a mixture of beer and cola.[citation needed] * Peru: Quara [1], a mixture of barley and fruits, made by SAB Miller Brewery in Lima. Particularly popular with girls. * Portugal: Called indiscriminately either a Panache or a Shandy, it is a drink popularized by the European tourists who brought the drink here. It is made with draft beer mixed with carbonated lemonade or a lemon-flavoured soft drink (often 7 Up or Sprite). * Switzerland: Called either a Panaché [Swiss French] or Panasch [Swiss German]. In the canton of Valais, the Swiss-French call it "Bière-lime". * Spain: o Called a Clara or Clara con limón if it’s made with sweet carbonated lemon soda (Clara Spanish > “Clear Lemonade”). o When made with carbonated soda-water, whether it is lemon-flavored or not, it is called Clara limón gaseosa ("Lemon Soda"). o In some other parts of Spain, a mixture of beer and sweet lemon-lime soda is called a Champú ("shampoo"). o It is called a Pica / Pika ("Sting" or "Bite") in the Basque Country. o It is called a Lejía ("chlorine bleach") in parts of Guipuscoa. * UK: In the southern part of the UK, a "Fantandi" is a 3:7 mix of orange soda (such as Fanta) and lager. * USA: o In the midwestern USA, a "Cincinnati" is a 1:2 mixture of lemon-lime soda (i.e., Sprite or 7 Up) and beer. o In Texas, a lager mixed with lime juice is called a Gringo Honeymoon.