It's Time to Take Beer Cocktails Seriously

"When you think "beer cocktails," visions of beermosas, Black Velvets and shandies likely dance in your head - a dated dance, lacking rhythm. A Michelada always slaps, and then there's the more recent rise of the Spaghett, but the beer cocktail canon is paltry, most of it living on forgettable bar menus and in the pages of 1990s-coded craft beer books. The Spaghett is one of the only examples with some cachet, but it simultaneously demonstrates the stripped-back simplicity of beertails."

"Damon Boelte, co-owner of Brooklyn's Grand Army Bar, invented the Americano Perfecto around 2011 while working at the now-closed Prime Meats steakhouse. Inspiration struck when he realized his train from Milan to Florence would soon depart, so he dumped the rest of his train-station Peroni into his Americano, figuring - correctly - that carbonated beer would work where carbonated water usually did."

Beer cocktails have historically been limited to simple recipes such as beermosas, Black Velvets, shandies, and the Spaghett. Many classic beertails are two-ingredient mixes that deliver flawless pairings but can inhibit creativity and experimentation. A recent wave of bartenders is creating more complex and intentional beer cocktails, and beer is increasingly inspiring notable cocktail bars. The Beericano, or Americano Perfecto, exemplifies the trend by replacing soda water with crisp pilsner alongside Campari and sweet vermouth. The Beericano suits the low-ABV aperitivo and spritz movement. Damon Boelte invented the Americano Perfecto around 2011 after dumping Peroni into an Americano on a train.

Read at InsideHook