Snakebite
ClassicHalf lager, half cider — the British pub half-and-half with a deceptive kick.
Crisp, dry and quietly potent. The malt of the lager and the tart apple of the cider meet in the middle — neither dominates — for a drink that reads lighter and sweeter than its strength suggests. Refreshing on the way in, with a kick that arrives later. Easy-drinking by design, which is precisely the danger.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Lager
- 8 oz Hard Cider
- None · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Chill a pint glass.
- 2
Pour the cold lager to fill it halfway, tilting the glass to keep the head down.
- 3
Top with an equal measure of cold hard cider.
- 4
Serve straight away.
The Story
The Snakebite is a British and Irish pub fixture, born of the simple bar trick of pouring lager and cider into one glass in equal measure. Cheap, easy and stronger than it tastes, it earned a slightly unruly reputation — and a mythology to match, with more than a few pubs claiming to refuse to serve it. Add a dash of blackcurrant cordial and it becomes the "Snakebite and Black," turning the drink a deep purple and sweetening the edges. However it is poured, it remains the classic student-union order and a lesson in how quietly two ordinary drinks can add up.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
