Times, they are a’changing, and the “beer and a shot” call drink isn’t just relegated to dive bars anymore, reports the New York Times. The boilermaker—the beer-and-shot’s proper moniker—is now taking up whole sections on menus around the country.
Furthering cocktail culture’s recent eschewing of pretense, bars are bringing back the boilermaker, but instead of doling out the well booze alongside a lowbrow beer (which can still certainly be found at a pub near you), bartenders are using the format to showcase craft beers and small batch liquors that might not necessarily find partnership otherwise.
Take for example the Lower East Side’s Nitecap, which pairs an ounce and a half of aquavit with Blanche de Bruxelles, a Belgian ale, taking the same nerdy, unexpected approach to the boilermaker that it does more intricate cocktails. And they’re not alone; bars across the country—from Trick Dog in San Francisco to Billy Sunday in Chicago to New York’s very own Boilermaker—are embracing similarly weird, wonderful brew-shot combinations.
Fingers crossed that Jägermeister doesn’t make an appearance. [The New York Times] [Photo: Flickr/IntangibleArts]