A Humboldt-Inspired Beer Cocktail

When the North Coast Journal asked me to suggest a cocktail for its “Best of” issue, I thought, “Humboldt in a glass. What does that taste like?” Well, it has to taste like our fantastic local beer. It just so happens that beer cocktails were all the rage this summer at Tales of the Cocktail, the big annual booze industry extravaganza in New Orleans. A recipe first published in Imbibe magazine puts Humboldt’s hoppiest brews to good use. The hops add just the right note of bracing citrusy bitterness, and the beer gives it a little fizz.

The Lost Coast Fizz

1 ¾ oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin

½ oz Clear Creek blackberry liqueur

½ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or the juice of about half a lemon

½ oz simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated so the sugar melts)

1-2 oz Lost Coast Brewery Indica IPA

Shake the first four ingredients with ice and strain into an Old-Fashioned glass filled with ice.  Top with 1-2 oz beer to taste, and give it a good stir.