New Ways To Enjoy Beer

Contrary to what a recent commercial would have you believe, you don't have to give up beer completely if you've become bored drinking it. With the recipes below, you can make some tasty cocktails for the times when you need more from your beer than for it to be ice cold. 

Ingredients: Shandy

1 bottle or can of beer
lemonade

1. Pour half of the beer into a glass. 
2. Fill the glass with lemonade.

As easy to make as it is refreshing to drink, try using a lemon-flavoured soda like 7Up or Sprite for the British version of this cocktail.

Ingredients: Black Velvet: 

1 bottle or can of stout
1 bottle of sparkling wine (a dry Champagne would be preferred)

1. Pour the stout into a champagne or highball glass until the glass is half full.
2. Top off the rest of the glass with the wine. Stir if desired, or allow the cocktail to sit for about a minute before serving.

Invented in London in 1861 as a way to mourn the death of Prince Albert, this cocktail can be made layered with either the stout on the bottom and champagne on top or with everything blended together.

Ingredients: Michelada

1 bottle or can of Mexican beer (appropriate cervezas to use: Corona, Modelo, Tecate)
Clamato or tomato juice
your favourite hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
soy sauce
juice of one lime

1. Take some salt and sprinkle it on a small plate. Rub a slice of lime around the rim of a glass and then press the rim in the salt.
2. Fill the glass about a quarter to halfway with either Clamato or tomato juice. Add the lime juice, two splashes of Worcestershire sauce, two splashes of soy sauce, and the hot sauce to taste. Fill the rest of the glass with cold beer.
3. Garnish with a slice of lime.

This will appeal to fans of the Bloody Caesar; for added authenticity, rim your glass with Tajin seasoning and use Maggi liquid seasoning instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients: Beer Float 

1 bottle or can of beer
ice cream
candy, chocolate chips, sprinkles, whipped cream (optional)

1. Scoop one or two scoops of ice cream into a beer mug.
2. Slowly pour beer into the mug, allowing the foam to rise and then recede before adding more beer.
3.  Top with any of the optional ingredients if you require more sweetness.

Swapping out root beer with regular beer is a great way to make a childhood treat more adult. While making a beer float is as simple as adding your favourite beer to your favourite ice cream, you can create a better float if you consider using flavours that pair well together. Combinations to try include:

• a red ale with vanilla ice cream
• a raspberry lambic with chocolate ice cream
• a hefeweizen with strawberry ice cream
• an espresso stout with coffee ice cream 
• an IPA with lemon-lime sorbet 
• a Belgian white with orange sorbet

Beef Tartare Blues

To the dismay of foodies and chefs in New Brunswick, it is now illegal to serve raw beef in a restaurant. This means that beef tartare is now off the menu. Beef tartare is made from raw minced beef and is served with onions, capers, and a raw egg yolk on top.  Along with the risk of getting salmonella from the egg, the provincial concern focuses on the fact that uncooked meat can contain bacteria that make people sick. While there haven't been any cases of anyone from the Picture Province getting sick from some tartare, health officials are erring on the side of caution after the year and a bit of dealing with a pandemic. However, when fresh meat is used and basic hygienic rules are followed, the risk of bacterial infection is low. With the recipe below, you can find out what New Brunswickers are now missing.

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM INGESTING RAW MEAT OR RAW EGGS, DO NOT EAT THIS DISH.

Ingredients

400 g beef tenderloin or top round
45 mL olive oil
30 g whole-grain mustard
15 mL red wine vinegar
15 g capers, chopped
7 g flat-leaf parley, chopped
5 g Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1 shallot, finely chopped
sriracha, to taste (if you can get some sambal oelek, use that)

1. Place the beef in the freezer for about an hour, until it starts to form ice crystals and gets really firm but not frozen solid; you should still be able to pierce it with the point of a sharp knife. Wash and dry your hands.
2. Combine the olive oil, mustards, vinegar, and whatever hot sauce you're using in a bowl. Season everything with salt and pepper, and set it aside. Wash and dry your hands.
3. When the meat is firm enough, take it from the freezer, and slice it thinly against the grain. Cut each slice into fine strips, then dice those strips as finely as you can. Continue chopping the meat with your knife until it has a coarse ground consistency, then place the meat in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the shallots, egg yolk, chopped parsley, chopped capers, and the dressing from the bowl you set aside to the beef and mix everything delicately until it is well combined. Wash and dry your hands. 
5. Divide the mixture into four equal servings and press each serving into either a burger press, a round cookie cutter or a cleaned tin can open at both ends. Lightly press down on the meat with a fork and then remove whatever you used to mold the dish into shape. Serve cold with fresh endives or toasted croutons.