Beer Cocktails to Quench Your Summer Thirst

Picture this: Summer has hit, it’s hot and your thirst needs quenching. There’s one question constantly running through your mind... Beer or cocktail? Beer or cocktail? Well for our dear beer lovers, fear not! As they beautifully say in Spanish, Por que no los dos?! We have rounded up four of the most delicious beer cocktails that you seriously have to try this Summer - so you can have both!Just remember that these cocktail should be stirred and not shaken once you’ve added the beer (sorry James), unless you’d like a fizzy mess on your hands.Miss Pinky Cocktail from Boatrocker BreweryWe’re lucky to have been graced with not only a brewery from the team at Boatrocker, but an amazing distillery too - and this Miss Pink Cocktail makes use of them both!Their Miss Pinky Berliner Weiss brings a tartness that’s perfectly balanced with the subtle sweetness of their  Hippocampus Raspberry Gin, creating a vibrant pink drink with delicious raspberry aromas. Ingredients:

• 45ml Boatrocker Hippocampus Raspberry Gin
• 30ml Raspberry Syrup
• 1 egg white or 30ml aquafaba
• 20ml Lemon Juice
• Boatrocker Miss Pinky Berliner Weiss beer

Method:Add the gin, raspberry syrup, egg white and lemon juice to shaker. Dry shake then shake with ice.Double strain and top with 100ml Miss Pinky beer. Garnish with raspberry or edible flower.Credit to: Boatrocker Brewers & DistillersPineapple Pisco Pale (Ale) Spice up your usual Pale Ale, expand your liquor vocabulary and impress your friends with deliciously fruity cocktail. Using Pisco, a lesser known spirit from Peru, with IPA and a splash of pineapple juice to create the perfect summer cocktail.Ingredients:

• 40mL Pisco
• 30mL pineapple juice
• 60mL IPA of choice  
• A strip of lemon zest

We recommend: The Hazy DC from Balter thanks to the hints of mango.Method:Shake pisco and juice in a shaker filled with ice. Strain into a lowball glass, pour in beer and gently stir to mix. Garnish with a lemon zest, expressing the oils from the peel before setting it in the glass.Summer ShandyA flavourful pilsner or pale ale mixed lemon juice makes for a refreshing beverage on a crisp sunny spring afternoon.Ingredients:

• 200ml of Pilsner or Pale ale of your choice 
• Lemon-lime soda
• 1 lemon wedge, for garnish

We recommend: The Shedshaker Refreshing Pils Lager to make use of its refreshing hint of citrus and tropical fruitMethod:Pour 200ml of beer into the glass, top with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with lemon wedge.The Sour DogWith the Negroni making a comeback as the go-to cocktail, it would be amiss of us to leave a Campari cocktail off this list. Enter the Sour Dog - the perfect beer lovers twist on this classic cocktail.Ingredients:

• 40ml gin
• 30ml Campari
• 85ml fresh grapefruit juice
• Fruity sour of your choice

We recommend: We recommend The Punch Mango Gose by Hop Nation to complement the burnt orange flavour of the Campari.Method:Scoop a bunch of ice into a pint glass and let it chill. Add gin, Campari and grapefruit juice to an ice-filled shaker and shake for about 15 seconds. Strain into your chilled pint glass, top with sour beer and garnish with grapefruit peel. 

Have you created a beer cocktail that you think Bendigo Beer readers would love to try?