Don’t Judge Me Mondays: The Black & Red

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Oof, we made it!  I’m not sure if any of you had a long weekend like I did.  I was, of course, thankful to have that break but it makes Mondays extra brutal.

Have you ever had a memory from a long time ago pop into your head and wonder what prompted it?  That happened to me last week.  For some reason I was reminded of a time I went out for drinks with some friends in West Seattle. It was not long after I’d graduated from college, so it must have been in 2003.  I remember feeling intimidated because the friends I was meeting went to this particular bar regularly and I always felt like they were way cooler than me (does that feeling every completely go away?).  Anyway, that led to me agonizing over what drink to choose.  What does this drink say about me?  Looking back now, I realize how stupid I was.  All that fretting did, however, lead to a solid drink choice.  I ordered a Black & Red, which is Guinness with Chambord, and it was quite tasty!  I’d recently tried Guinness for the first time, so I was excited to see another way to drink it! I had somehow forgotten about this drink, but the memory of that night re-surfacing really made me want one again.  Now I’m sharing it with you!

Many of you have probably heard of a Black & Tan, which is Guinness (or another Stout beer) layered on top of a pale ale.  This drink doesn’t have the neat layered look that a Black & Tan does, but I don’t think you’ll mind when you taste it. 🙂

Ok, let’s get to it already!

This drink is insanely simple! Start by pouring the Chambord in a pint glass, or your favorite beer glass. Chambord is a raspberry liqueur and its sweetness pairs really nicely with the richness of the stout.  If you can’t find Chambord, any brand of raspberry liqueur will do.

Now tilt the glass and slowly pour in the Guinness.  Really you can use any brand, just make sure the beer is a stout.  Other dark beers like Porters aren’t as heavy and will not hold up as well to the raspberry flavor.  Stout usually has a pretty thick foam, so you’re slowly pouring to give the beer time to settle down. Once all of the beer has added, give it a gentle stir.

Bottom’s up!

Do you have a go-to drink when you’re at a new bar? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!