A traditional British Shandy has had little problem with translation in crossing the pond. The difference in what you will be served in an American bar, as opposed to a British pub, if you ask for a Shandy may surprise you.
With England advancing to the semi-finals in the World Cup in a few hours, I think this is a very timely post!
If it’s hot where you are, this would be the PERFECT beverage to serve to watch the game. (As long as your time zone cooperates if you’re watching it live.)
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I discovered something last year when I was out with a friend for a drink and nibbles. As we sat at the bar of the restaurant here in LA, we were watching the bartender and talking to him, as you do. At one point, a Shandy came up as an order and I don’t exactly remember how it happened, but I realized he was going to make it with beer and lemonade (as in, lemon, sugar and water type lemonade)! I was shocked because this is not a Shandy as I had known it.
Immediately, it all clicked: in the UK, lemon-lime soda (like 7UP) is what is referred to as “lemonade” and so there was a lack of translation when this drink crossed “The Pond”! I explained this to the bartender who was curiously surprised. Instead of adding the US version of lemonade, he made the Shandy with lemon-lime soda. No complaints from the guest!
If you watch this video where James Corden is bartending in Liverpool, the lady asks for a lemonade, and you can see that she gets a clear sparkling soda, not a cloudy, pale yellow lemonade as we know it in the US.
What is a Shandy?
A traditional British Shandy is a mixture of beer (usually a lager) and lemon-lime soda, most commonly a 50/50 ratio. If you like more beer, you can add less soda and vice versa. (Thanks to my niece, Chrissie, who worked as a bartender in the UK (amongst other places), and happens to be living in Sweden now, for the details on a Shandy.)
I’m adding this due to a comment from a reader after posting this: if you’re in France, you can order a PanachĂ© (what a Shandy is called in French)! Thanks to my pal Jill at Mad About Macarons for that tidbit. :)
Is Shandy alcoholic?
Well, yes–technically it is as there’s beer in it, however, compared to a cocktail, it’s very low in alcohol.
Shandy: A Refreshing Summertime Drink!
As I’m not a beer drinker, my biggest experience with Shandy was my dad drinking them in summer. He’d love to have one after he’d been out cutting the grass for hours in the heat and humidity. Dad would come inside and pop open a lemon-lime soda and whatever beer he had, and mix them together (about half and half). He’d always say how thirst-quenching they were.
Topping up.
I remember being SO jealous that he liked beer because his Shandy always looked so refreshing. It’d never fail: he’d ask me to taste it, but I have never even liked the smell of beer.
For a hot summer’s day, you can try this white wine sangria spritzer recipe~or even a Pimm’s Cup
When I told Dad about the lemonade mix up with the Shandy, he couldn’t believe it. I suppose now it’s too late to get the message out as all of the Shandy recipes I found online are for the wrong type of lemonade! This is much like the ricotta recipes I’ve seen flooding the internet: 90% of them aren’t for ricotta! Ricotta means “cooked twice” so it’s a specific way it’s made. Most of the recipes all are making cheese, NOT ricotta–ugh.
Unfortunately, people copy too many things off the internet (without proper research or giving credit) and so misinformation floods the web. After a certain point, it’s too late to fix it, but in this case, I’m trying my best!
Without further ado, here’s the simple, yet traditional British way to make a Shandy.
How to Make a Proper Traditional British Shandy
makes one (or two, depending on the size of the glass)
-your favorite lager (chilled is best if it’s hot)
-your favorite lemon-lime soda (I recommend using one with sugar, no corn-syrup or sweeteners), chilled
Special equipment – tall beer glasses
Pour half of each beverage slowly into one or two tall beer glasses. It really doesn’t matter which you pour in first, just tip the glass to the side when you pour.
Btw, there’s no ice in a proper Shandy! I saw recipes that instructed ice to be added! Egads!
Enjoy. And good luck to England’s National football team! (As long as Scotland and Italy aren’t in, I’ll back England đ)
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- your favorite lager
- your favorite lemon-lime soda (I recommend using one with sugar, no corn-syrup or sweeteners), chilled
- Pour half of each beverage slowly into one or two (depends on the size) tall beer glasses.
- Enjoy.
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Frank
wrote on
Sounds nice, Christina! Never had a Shandy but I’m sure it’s very refreshing for a summer afternoon. Very different context, but this reminds me of my grandparents’ generation. All the women in the family used to drink their red wine mixed with 7Up. I remember my grandmother was always in deathly fear of “getting drunk” off of it…
Christina
wrote on
OMG, that’s too funny! My mother is a “lightweight” when it comes to anything alcoholic, too! We used to give our children wine and 7Up when they were little (as my parents did with us) and we called it a spritzer. This backfired once when my daughter was 4 and went to the person making drinks at a party and asked for a spritzer! I had to go explain! ;)
Jill @ Mad About Macarons
wrote on
So glad you’ve set the record straight on a Shandy. My goodness, this brings back memories as I used to have this as a special treat as a teenager when we went down the coast to North Berwick and stopped off for a pub lunch – and haven’t had it since!
Had no idea about the lemonade lost in translation between the UK and USA.
Christina
wrote on
I think you need one for old times’ sake, Jill! Yes, isn’t it crazy about the translation error! Eeek!
Valentina
wrote on
Christina, I’m not normally a beer drinker, but I think this is a drink I would like. The addition of the lemon-lime soda would do it for me. Especially on a hot summer day. :-)
Christina
wrote on
I bet you might enjoy it, Valentina!
Victoria Jacobs
wrote on
It has a name! 1975, Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral. It was hot and the cathedral was jammed with tourists. 2 Canadian gals, me, and our tour bus driver walked to a nearby bar to sit it out and the driver ordered us beer and Sprite mixed together. We loved it! Now I find out it has a name. Who knew?
Christina
wrote on
That’s funny that you never knew the name since then! However, now we must find out what it’s called in French! I’ll be back! CC
Christina
wrote on
I’m back! My friend Jill from http://www.MadAboutMacarons.com (an ex-pat Scot in France) says it’s called PanachĂ© in France! So now you have TWO names for it! :)
Jill @ Mad About Macarons
wrote on
Great that you discovered it in Paris, Victoria – and thanks, Christina, for the explanation … x
A_Boleyn
wrote on
So there are TWO kinds of shandy. :)
Christina
wrote on
Now there are! The original, and the American version, haha! :)
David
wrote on
You know how there are some foods you just canât eat? For me, itâs beverages… never shall a beer, coffee, or tea pass my lips. Admit, I have had maybe three beers in my life, but under duress! Iâm sure everyone else will love this, and the photos are lovely!
Christina
wrote on
I’d guess that you’re a supertaster, David. Read something recently about the connection to beer and supertasters. I also don’t drink coffee (unless I’m in Italy, it has to be that good). The tea, though, does my head in as I’m from Scotland! haha! :) Glad you’ve finally said you don’t like something I’ve posted to even up the number of times I’ve told you I don’t like asparagus or all the other things I don’t eat!
Michelle
wrote on
To me lemonade in a shandy would be plain lemonade like rwhites not 7up or sprite which to me is American. I don’t like beer though so only have the low alcohol version of shandy in a can.
Christina
wrote on
We don’t have that choice here, so I just want to get the word out to distinguish between the fizzy drink and the lemon, sugar, water version of lemonade. Trust me, 7Up is closer to a real Shandy than the other version! ;)
Margaret
wrote on
Iâve lived in the US for many years but grew up in England and have family in Scotland. When we were visiting Scotland one time and my son was about 9 years old we found ourselves at a âHighland Nightâ in the hotel. I let my son go and order himself a drink from the bar. He had asked for lemonade and got the British lemonade, much to his horror! He never did like fizzy drinks.
A lesson for American boys in the UK!
Christina
wrote on
That’s funny, Margaret! I’m sure that’s happened SO many times and vice versa when Brits come here and ask for lemonade! :)