Grail Ale: A Beer Cocktail

Name: Grail Ale: A Beer Cocktail
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Reprinted with permission from The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar by Jim Meehan and Bart Sasso with Emma
Janzen, copyright © 2024. Photographs by AJ Meeker. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of
Penguin Random House, LLC.

Photo: AJ Meeker

July 08, 2024

Jim Meehan's Grail Ale Grapefruit Beer Cocktail

In his book, A Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar, acclaimed bartender Jim Meehan, riffs on Stiegl’s grapefruit radler, switching out golden lager for an American pale ale. “The grapefruit soda’s sulphury astringency pairs well with the bitterness of the pale ale without compromising its hoppy character,” he writes.

Ingredients

6 oz. Sierra Nevada pale ale or Athletic Run Wild N/A IPA, chilled
5 oz. grapefruit soda, chilled

Tools:soda carbonating kit, swivel peeler, mason jar, tongs, quart container, measuring cup, reamer
Glass:pilsner
Garnish:grapefruit half-wheel

Preparation

Add the ale and soda to a chilled pilsner glass. Add a few ice cubes, if desired. Garnish.
Grapefruit SodaAdd 8 oz. of enhanced grapefruit sherbet to a 1L plastic soda bottle. Pour in 20 oz. of chilled filtered water. Force-carbonate the mixture. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, re-carbonated as desired. Yields 28 oz.
Enhanced Grapefruit SherbetWith a swivel peeler, pare the peels from 3 Ruby Red grapefruits, each in one long spiral. Place the peels in a pint mason jar. Add 200g (1 cup) superfine sugar and screw on the cap. Shake the jar to evenly coat the peels with the sugar. Infuse for 4 to 6 hours or overnight to extract the oil from the peels.

Add 8 oz. of the “Enhanced” Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice to the mason jar and re-seal the jar. Shake vigorously to dissolve any remaining sugar. Remove the peels with tongs and compost them. Combine the contents of the mason jar with the remaining enhanced grapefruit juice in a quart container. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Enhanced Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice from Chad SolomonReam 20 oz. of juice from 3 to 4 Ruby Red grapefruits. Fine-strain the grapefruit juice into a measuring cup. Add 2g (1 Tbsp.) citric acid and 3 drops phosphoric acid, and stir to combine. Pour into a bottle or mason jar. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Yields 20 oz.