The Ultimate Guide to Craft Beer Cocktails With Ramsbury

Find the perfect accompaniments to your upcoming celebrations…

We all have a spring in our step at the moment (quite literally!)

The days are getting longer and here at Stockclose Farm, there are signs of new growth all around us. As a nation, we are looking forward to warmer weather and the wonderful opportunities to get together that the coming season brings with it. A quick forward look on the calendar highlights the chance to celebrate both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as well as a lovely long weekend across Easter – another perfect time to kick back and enjoy the company of friends and family.

At Ramsbury, we are also thrilled about the extra holiday festivities at the start of June this year, as the UK commemorates Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee when we know that like us, you will be keen to spend precious time with your loved ones.

This year more than ever we’re all excited at the prospect of making our shared celebrations extra special and we know that when you’ve invited a crowd, our 9-pint mini kegs and 18- and 36-pint bag in box options are always popular, alongside our mixed bottle cases which offer a delicious selection of our craft beers.

But this year, why not offer your guests something really special by rustling up some craft beer based cocktails?

Here we’ve put together some suggestions for beer-based cocktails using the Ramsbury range – simple to mix, easily bringing a wow, and designed to make sure your gathering lasts long in the memory! Unusual cocktails are a real crowd pleaser, and we’re sure that your guests will be more than impressed.

The Beer-Mojito

Featuring our best-selling Ramsbury Gold and our Ramsbury Estate Honey. The distinctively light, hoppy aroma and taste of our much-loved Ramsbury Gold is the perfect ingredient in this refreshing take on the classic mojito:

You’ll need:

• 4 Lime Wedges
• 12 Mint Leaves
• 1tsp Honey Syrup (made using our Ramsbury Estate Honey)
• Crushed Ice
• Ramsbury Gold Ale

Method:

• Set aside one of the lime wedges, then squeeze the juice from the rest into a tall glass. Drop in the spent lime wedges and muddle using a muddler or the end of a rolling pin.
• Make up the honey syrup by mixing our delicious Estate Honey with warm water 1:1 and allowing to cool.
• Set three of the mint leaves aside, then drop the rest into the glass along with the honey syrup. Fill the glass with crushed ice, then pour over the Ramsbury Gold. Stir upwards from the bottom using a long-handled spoon to evenly disperse the lime juice and mint.
• Garnish the rim with the remaining lime wedge and scatter over the rest of the mint leaves.

The Michelada

featuring our award-winning Ramsbury Red Ram: a  winner at the 2021 Great Taste Awards, the crisp and refreshing finish of our celebrated Red Ram will ensure that this traditional beer based cocktail from Mexico is a real thirst quencher.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4tbsp Sea Salt
• Juice of 6 Limes
• Ice Cubes
• Ramsbury Red Ram
• Tabasco Sauce or Worcestershire sauce (to serve)

Method:

• Pour 4 tbsp sea salt onto a plate. Dip 4 long glasses into the juice of 6 limes, then into the salt, so you get a little salt rim around the top of the glass.
• Add ice to each glass, then divide the lime juice between the glasses and top up with Ramsbury Red Ram.
• Finish with a dash of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.

The Raspberry Beermosa

Featuring Ramsbury 506,  with its smooth taste and citrus finish, our continental style blond beer is an excellent choice when mixing up this unusual cocktail, based on a delicious Raspberry Mimosa.

For this unusual cocktail, you’ll need:

• A Punnet of Raspberries
• Orange Juice
• Ice Cubes
• Ramsbury 506

Method:

• Place raspberries at the bottom of the glasses and muddle using a muddler or the end of a rolling pin. Reserve a few raspberries for later.
• Add ice cubes to the glass and cover with a splash of orange juice
• Fill the rest of the glass with Ramsbury 506 and add a couple of remaining whole raspberries as a garnish.

Honey Beer Julep

Featuring Ramsbury Honey Bee Nectar and our Ramsbury Estate Honey, this long hot summer version of the classic Mint Julep is the perfect partner to all those barbeques you’re planning – sweet, refreshing and definitely light enough for a second glass.

You’ll need:

• Mint and Basil Leaves
• Warm Water
• Ice Cubes
• Ramsbury Estate Honey
• Ramsbury Honey Bee Nectar

The sure-fire beer cocktail method:

• Place the mint and basil leaves at the bottom of each of the glasses, add a spoonful of Ramsbury Estate Honey and a dash of warm water.
• Crush using a muddler or the end of a rolling pin and leave to cool.
• Add ice cubes and fill the rest of the glass with Ramsbury Honey Bee Nectar.
• Next, add a couple of remaining leaves as a garnish.

How About Beer Based Cocktails… With Our Spirits, Too?

When it comes to these unusual cocktails, if you’re thinking of really pushing the boat out on the celebrations, or like your drinks to pack more of a punch, the following suggestions for beer-based cocktails have the addition of gin or vodka to give your party a real kick start!

The Moscow Mule

Featuring Ramsbury Flint Knapper and our Single Estate Vodka, this incredibly simple vodka cocktail dating from the Second World War recently came back into the spotlight and is now one of the hottest bar drinks, and with two delicious Ramsbury products in the mix, it’s definitely a winner!

You’ll need:

• A measure of Ramsbury Single Estate Vodka (for each serving)
• Juice of 6 Limes
• Ice Cubes
• Ginger Syrup
• Ramsbury Flint Knapper

Method:

• Add a measure of Ramsbury Single Estate Vodka to each glass and an equal amount of the lime juice.
• Add a spoonful of ginger syrup.
• Add plenty of ice cubes and fill the rest of the glass with Ramsbury Flint Knapper, stirring as you fill.
• Garnish with a lime wedge.

The Elvis

The Elvis is the perfect beer based cocktail base to feature our Ramsbury Belapur IPA in addition to our award-winning Single Estate Gin.

This cocktail from the USA is renowned for being refreshingly rich in citrusy, hoppy notes – so using our wonderous IPA and incredibly smooth London Dry Gin mean that this UK version can be as well-loved as its American cousin!

For this beer based cocktail, you’ll need:

• A measure of Ramsbury Single Estate Gin (for each serving)
• Grapefruit Juice
• Ice Cubes
• Ramsbury’s Belapur IPA
• 1 Mint Sprig (to garnish)

Method:

• Add a measure of Ramsbury Single Estate Gin to each glass and stir in a splash of grapefruit juice.
• Add plenty of ice cubes and fill the rest of the glass with Ramsbury Belapur IPA, stirring as you fill.
• Garnish with a mint sprig to serve.

Summary

By now, after this whirl-wind tour of some of our favourite beer based cocktails, we hope you’re now feeling inspired to make sure the drinks you serve at your upcoming parties and celebrations really hit the spot.

As a real finishing touch, and to ensure those gatherings become stand out events, why not look to serve your refreshments in our unique Ramsbury glasses? They are the ideal vessels for the unusual beer-based cocktails we’ve showcased, as well as the perfect collector’s items you may let your guests take home with them?

Happy beer cocktail making!