Radler
ClassicThe cyclist's beer — lager lengthened with bright grapefruit soda.
Crisp, bright and lightly bitter. Grapefruit soda gives the lager a tart, citrus edge that the sweetness rounds out, dropping the strength while keeping it lively and fizzy. Less sweet than a lemonade Shandy, with a pleasant grapefruit bite. An easy, sessionable warm-weather pour.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Lager
- 8 oz Grapefruit Soda
- Grapefruit wedge · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Chill a pint glass.
- 2
Pour in the cold lager to fill it halfway.
- 3
Top with an equal measure of cold grapefruit soda.
- 4
Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and serve immediately.
The Story
Radler means "cyclist" in German, and the story — likely embellished but too good to drop — credits a Bavarian innkeeper in the 1920s who, faced with a rush of thirsty cyclists and a dwindling supply of beer, stretched what he had with lemon soda. Whatever the truth, the half-beer, half-soda formula stuck, and the Radler became the German-speaking world's answer to the British Shandy: a low-alcohol refresher made for the outdoors. The classic uses lemon soda, but a grapefruit version — sharper and a little more bitter — has become just as beloved, especially in summer.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
