Madigan made.... Bicycle Beer or a Radler.
This is the second installment of Summer Lovin' with NO Oven Week here at Madigan Made.
This week I'm bringing you several recipes for the summer. What do all the recipes this week have in common? You do not need to step foot near your stove!
They also are simple and easy (which is pretty typical of the food ideas I bring you).
Today I wanted to share a light and cool (adult) beverage.
Normally, I love my wine. But on a hot summer day, there is something so refreshing about a cool beer.
This kind of drink was first described to me as a Radler, which means 'cyclist' in German. It traditionally is made with half beer and half lemon-lime soda. It kind of reminds me of shandy, which is a beer/lemonade mixture.
According to wikipedia and other sites, Franz Xaver Kugler invented the drink in 1922 to serve his guests on a hot summer afternoon, which were mostly hikers and bicyclists. Supposedly, he started to run out of beer and decided to mix beer with lemon-lime soda to stretch it. And he named the drink after his cycling patrons.
I experimented a little with diet lemon-lime soda (to avoid the added calories of regular soda) and that did NOT taste very good. So, I tried lime seltzer with a splash of sweetened lime juice and that tasted yummy.
And I will warn you: this drink does not taste like regular beer. It is almost like a lime-y beer spritzer. (Or 'watered down beer' if you are my husband. But don't listen to him.)
I enjoyed my bicycle beer. It was slightly sweet, very light and a little tart. A perfect drink for a hot and humid day!
What I like about this drink is that it basically cuts the calories of a beer in half! If you are watching your figure but still want to enjoy a little beverage, this may interest you.
If you do decide to make one of these, I advise using a beer you enjoy drinking. Maybe a light 'summery' beer that compliments a lime (ie. Corona or Sol) or maybe a fruity wheat beer.
Bicycle Beer with a Twist
Inspired by the Radler
- 12 oz bottle of light or wheat beer
- 12 oz can of lime seltzer
- 1 tsp sweetened lime juice
- slices of lime
Pout the first three ingredients together. Garnish with a lime slice. Serves 2. (Or one, if you are really thirsty!)
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