I’m passing you the pitcher!
When I was a kid we’d meet family friends at Pizza Hut on a weeknight after gymnastics. Three things stand out from those dinners: personal pan pizzas (mine was always plain), jars of crushed red pepper, and pitchers of beer on nearly every table. As a child I thought the pitchers were lemonade.
I didn’t have another real encounter with pitchers until college, and that experience was exactly as you might expect. After that I avoided pitchers for about ten years—until I decided to dress one up with fruit, lemon soda, juice and brandy.
Welcome to shandy sangria. It’s bright, fizzy and full of fresh citrus. I like to use a citrus-forward wheat beer to complement the lemon soda and fruit. I happened to have a grapefruit shandy in the fridge, which gives this sangria an extra pop of brightness and a slightly tart complexity that plays beautifully with Meyer lemons.
Grapefruit shandy is delicious on its own and works wonderfully here. If you don’t have Meyer lemons, use regular lemons—just taste and adjust the sweetness to suit, since Meyers are a touch sweeter. This recipe is flexible and perfect for gatherings, tailgates or a sunny afternoon.
So, cheers? Slide the pitcher back when you’re done.
Meyer Lemon Shandy Sangria
Yield:
4
20 minutes
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Ingredients
- 3 (12-ounce) cold bottles citrusy wheat beer (such as a grapefruit or sunset wheat shandy)
- 1 1/2 cups cold lemon soda (like San Pellegrino Limonata)
- 1 cup cold ginger beer (or ale for a milder spice)
- 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
- 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
- 2 Meyer lemons, sliced
- 2 limes, sliced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 grapefruit, segmented
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Instructions
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Place all the fruit in the bottom of a large pitcher. Combine the beer, lemon soda, ginger beer, Grand Marnier and Meyer lemon juice, then stir gently to combine. Pour the sangria over extra fruit and ice in glasses. Because this drink uses carbonated beer, do not let it sit overnight—serve soon after mixing. Taste before serving and adjust sweetness as needed depending on the beer and lemons you use.
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This pour picture makes me happier than it should.