Happy Hour: Smooth as Black Velvet

It’s the night for Irish brew and all things green, so sidle up and grab a Guinness.

Or, if you’re feel fancy pants, order up a beer cocktail like a Black and Tan. If you’re nostalgic, you might want to try an alcoholic spin on a childhood favorite and make a Guinness float (I’ll take mine with coffee ice cream, thank you very much).

While those are all dandy and fine, this year I’ve got my sites on the Black Velvet. A blend of bubbly and brew, it’s sour like a gueuze lambic, full-bodied from the beer, and a beauty to look at, making it my date for tonight’s festivities.

Black Velvet Beer Cocktail Recipe

Makes 1 drink

1 part chilled Guinness

1 part chilled brut sparkling wine

Pour the Guinness into a chilled pint glass and let the foam subside. Place a spoon on the inside of the glass, horizontal to the beer, and pour the bubbly over the spoon so as to encourage the wine to float on top of the beer. Drink, refill, repeat.