Drink of the Week: Little Kings Cream Ale

With summer around the corner and American Craft Beer Week winding down, we’re ready to tap into today’s Drink of the Week—the Little Kings Original Cream Ale. As Americana as beer brewing gets, cream ales first hit the pint glass in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries when Northeast and Mid-Atlantic brewers began fermenting ales at cooler temperatures (similar to lager production). The resulting hybrid ales were crisp, clean and a favorite of beer enthusiasts coast to coast. Imbibe contributing editor Joshua Bernstein explores the history of the beer style and recent resurgence in our current issue, and Little Kings fits right in with its smooth, malty flavors, notes of sweet vanilla and caramel, and bit of hop bitterness on the finish. Brewed from the same recipe since the 1950s, this beer offers up a taste of the classic cream ale style and is available across the country. Looking for cream ale with a regional flair? Check out local offerings ranging from Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse, New York to Bold City Brewery in Jacksonville, Florida to Coalition Brewery in Portland, Oregon. And want to know more about the current crop of cream ales? Click here. 
Littlekingsbeer.com for distribution info.

Beer Cocktails for American Craft Beer Week

Tom Terrific photo by Studio Atticus

Need a reason to crack a cold one? American Craft Beer Week continues through Sunday, and to celebrate we’re mixing up a round of frosty, beer-spiked cocktails from some of the best bartenders in the country. 

The Honey Beer

Gin, lemon juice and a splash of pale ale—beer cocktails don’t get easier than this spirited, honey-rimmed refresher. 

Chantres Shrub

Rye whiskey, a tea-infused aperitif and a summery IPA add layer upon layer of deliciousness to this former Imbibe cover cocktail.

Blue Jay

Two amaros meet with a sunny mix of citrus and beer in this bright-yet-bitter palate-perker.

Huatulco Wit

A wheaty Belgian beer adds a sprightly effervescence to this mezcal- and pineapple-spiked fizzer.

La Valentina

Muddled raspberries and grapefruit juice add a fruity freshness to this tequila and beer-topped cocktail.

Tom Terrific

Subtly sweet Old Tom gin is back and bigger than ever. Get a taste in this Collins that combines the old-timey spirit with Cherry Heering, fresh lemon juice and a heady IPA. 

Weissen Sour

A spoonful of orange marmalade offers a bittersweet balance to this frothy bourbon and white ale highball. 

One Sunset

Campari’s cousin Aperol meets with fresh mint, muddled grapes and a splash of amber lager in this garden-fresh fizzy refresher. 

Chabela Cortez

Beer with brunch? This savory sipper combines tomato juice, citrus and a light lager for a breakfast-ready update of the classic Michelada. 

Bitter Roots

Artichoke-based Cynar and a hoppy IPA add an intriguingly bitter edge to this rum and Madeira cocktail.

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Is Malort the new Fernet? NPR

Get ready—homebrewing is about to become legal in all 50 states. Huffington Post

How much would you pay to sip coffee with an Apple exec? CNBC

Eric Asimov picks his top 20 springtime wines under $20. New York Times

How many flavors can you really detect in that glass of vino? Io9

American Craft Beer Week

Get ready—American Craft Beer Week starts today!. From May 13-19, festivities are scheduled around the country, all in celebration of America’s ever-growing craft beer scene. Head to craftbeer.com for a list of events to see if there’s one (or more!) happening near you. You’ll also find ideas for organizing your own celebration. It’s the perfect time to toast your local breweries, and there’s no better way to do that than to saddle up to the bar and order a pint. And in the meantime, be sure to stay in the know with our latest exploration of American craft brews in this article on home-grown cream ales. 

Use and follow the hashtag #ACBW to stay in the loop all week long.

Toasting Gatsby in Six Prohibition-Era Cocktails

Baz Luhrmann’s much-anticipated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby premieres today in theaters across the country. The story is set in the gin-soaked twenties, in the midst of Prohibition, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was known to be quite the tippler himself. Want to drink like Gatsby? Look toward these six classic cocktails. 

Photo by Stuart Mullenberg

Sidecar

Elegant, infinitely balanced and approachable, the Sidecar has rightly become one of the most popular classic cocktails of the past century. 

Last Word

Easy to assemble but hard to forget, this Prohibition-era classic has found its way into a new generation of cocktail glasses thanks in part to Seattle-based bartender Murray Stenson, who helped re-popularize the drink.

Fallen Angel

Gin, lime and crème de menthe combine in this bracing, once-forgotten classic. And we think Gatsby narrator Nick Carraway would find the name rather fitting. 

Southside Fizz

This classic fizz was traditionally served without ice, but adding several large cubes or a long spear of ice makes for a fine slow-sipper. For extra, Gatsby-esque decadence, substitute chilled dry Champagne for the club soda to make a minty French 75.

Singapore Sling

Though its origins are murky, there’s no question that this drink was wildly popular in the 1920s, and because it is gin-based, F. Scott Fitzgerald would surely have sipped his fair share of them.

Cochon Bloody Mary

Cocktail historian David Wondrich describes the Bloody Mary, originally created in the 1920s by Pete Petiot at Harry’s Bar in Paris, as “second only to the Martini in the world of WASP drinking”. We’re pretty sure that Daisy, Nick and their hard-partying cohorts would have started many a day with a tall Bloody Mary. 

Drink of the Week: Q Drinks Sparkling Orange

Orange soda grows up a bit with today’s Drink of the Week. Q Drinks’ Sparkling Orange combines oranges from Brazil and Florida with tangerines from Mexico and a subtle sweetening of organic cane sugar. It’s on the refreshingly dry side of the citrus soda spectrum, making it a perfect option if you like your sodas not too sweet. Look for it now on shelves across the country—just in the nick of spring. Qdrinks.com for distribution info.