Entertaining

IPA Drinkers Will Love These 7 Cocktails

We’ll start off easy with a cocktail that features a hefty pour of an IPA: the Andy’s Shandy. Created by Brooklyn bartender Andy Imsdahl, this sour and spicy beer-tail combines ultra-boozy King’s County moonshine with a homemade serrano and grapefruit shrub, lime juice, and a topper of Stillwater’s Nu-Tropic IPA. The mango and passionfruit notes of the beer play with the citrusy, savory flavors of the shrub, while a spicy Tajin rim and serrano chili garnish bring extra heat.

Ideal for summertime day drinking, this low-ABV cocktail from Michael Clancy of The National in Athens, Georgia is inspired by the Pimm’s Cup, a fruity and herbaceous amalgam of fresh citrus, cucumber and mint. Pimm’s No. 1 fruit liqueur mixes with fresh lemon juice, banana liqueur, mint and an IPA syrup, made simply by reducing a bottle of IPA with a cup of sugar. Clancy uses Creature Comforts Tropicália at The National, but you can use any citrus-forward IPA to make the syrup.

Grapefruit is one of the most prominent flavors of an IPA and likely the first note that novices will recognize. This classic spritzy cocktail is actually the most popular drink in Mexico (rather than the Margarita), and it’s easy to see why. Rich reposado tequila blends with fresh lime juice and grapefruit soda for an easy sipper that harkens back to the same earthy, grapefruity flavors of an IPA. Plus, sparkling soda is reminiscent of that satisfying beer fizz.

An IPA is defined by its hoppiness, and that’s usually what turns off the average ale drinker from the brew. This cocktail from Laura Gardner of Staten Island’s Hop Shoppe welcomes that distinctive hop flavor with open arms. Herbaceous, bracing Old Tom gin is mixed with a hop-honey syrup, fresh ginger, fresh lemon, apple and dry sparkling cider. The bitterness of the hops blends seamlessly with the gin, and the crisp cider, apples and ginger make it perfect for drinking on a brisk autumn afternoon.

The bittersweet Negroni is an excellent choice for IPA lovers, especially considering Negroni drinkers are affectionately known as the snobs of the cocktail world. But we prefer the Jasmine, a subtle twist on the Negroni that swaps out rich, sweet vermouth for citrusy orange liqueur, adds fresh lemon juice and features a heavier pour of gin. It’s a more vibrant drink than the equal-parts Italian classic and one we think is better suited for an IPA lover’s palate.

If the idea of building a complex cocktail makes you want to reach for a simple bottle of beer even more, consider this insanely easy aperitif. All you need to make this cocktail is Cynar—a pungent, herbaceous and bitter amaro made from artichokes—bubbly lemon soda and crushed ice. Stirred and garnished with a mint sprig, we dare say this earthy-tart cocktail is even more refreshing than an IPA.

The classic Sazerac may be a far cry from an IPA, but the flavors mesh in a way that should appeal to IPA fans’ taste buds. Spicy rye whiskey mixes with simple syrup and Peychaud’s bitters, which are more floral and delicately aromatic than the standby Angostura. A rinse of absinthe in the glass gives it a twinge of herbal, licorice complexity. All together, it’s a potent, bittersweet, floral cocktail of which even the most stubborn IPA drinker will approve.