Non-Alcoholic Shandy

Before you start

A shandy is beer mixed with lemonade, usually in equal parts. In Britain the lemonade is a clear, sparkling lemon soda; in the U.S. people often use still lemonade, which makes a cloudier, tarter drink. Both work with a non-alcoholic lager, and the mix suits alcohol-free beer well. The lemon brightens a beer that can taste a little flat, while the beer's malt and hops give lemonade a dry, grown-up finish.

The main decisions are style and order. A pale, crisp lager or a wheat beer makes the most refreshing shandy; dark or very hoppy beers clash with lemon. Pour the beer first, then the lemonade, so the head forms from the beer and the two blend without stirring. Everything should be fridge-cold, since this is served without ice in most pubs.

Ingredients

• 180 ml (6 oz) non-alcoholic lager or wheat beer — very cold
• 180 ml (6 oz) lemonade — sparkling lemon soda or still lemonade, very cold
• 1 lemon wheel — optional

Method

1. Chill the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes. A cold glass keeps the drink crisp without ice.
2. Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and pour the beer slowly down the side until the glass is half full.
3. Straighten the glass and pour the lemonade into the center. This blends the two and builds a soft white head.
4. Taste. If it is too sweet, add a splash more beer; if it is too bitter, add more lemonade.
5. Slip the lemon wheel onto the rim if you like and serve right away.

Tips for success

• Sparkling lemonade gives the classic pub shandy. Still homemade lemonade makes it tarter and less fizzy, so pour it more slowly to keep the beer's carbonation.
• Try ratios from 60:40 beer-forward to 40:60 lemon-forward. Many people prefer more lemonade in hot weather.
• A squeeze of fresh lemon on top sharpens bottled lemonade that tastes too sweet.

Substitutions

Lemonade

Grapefruit soda makes a radler-style drink that is more bitter and aromatic. Ginger beer makes a shandygaff, spicy and fuller.

Non-alcoholic lager

A non-alcoholic wheat beer is softer and fruity, especially good with lemon. Non-alcoholic IPA works but its bitterness can clash with sweet lemonade.

Store-bought lemonade

Homemade lemonade lets you control sugar. Make it tarter than you would drink it alone, since the beer adds no sweetness.

Variations

Radler

Use grapefruit or orange soda in place of lemonade with a non-alcoholic wheat beer.

Herbal shandy

Bruise a sprig of mint or a few basil leaves in the glass before pouring.

Troubleshooting

It foams over

The lemonade was poured too fast or onto a warm glass. Pour the beer first at an angle and add the lemonade slowly.

It tastes thin and sugary

Too much lemonade for your beer. Go to 60 percent beer, or pick a fuller wheat beer.

It goes flat quickly

Warm ingredients lose fizz fast. Chill both drinks thoroughly and serve in a cold glass.

Storage

Pour each shandy fresh; once mixed, it goes flat within about 20 minutes. Store unopened non-alcoholic beer cold and use it by the date on the can, as it can stale sooner than regular beer.

Safety notes

Beer sold as non-alcoholic in the U.S. can contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume. A half-and-half shandy halves that, but the drink is still not completely alcohol-free.