National Beer Day is upon us (April 7th) and why not celebrate it with a nice cold boilermaker?
Lately I’ve been enjoying spirits along with my beers since I was able to restock my bar with a nice selection of duty-free liquors. Unrelated side note: If you’re ever in St. Thomas, load up. You can bring back up to six liters provided one of them is a local product such as Cruzan Rum or Captain Morgan. Plus American Airlines won’t hit you for an extra bag fee for the boxes when you’re flying back from St. Thomas.
But I digress….
I am sure at some point you have come across a Boilermaker, the delicious pairing of a cold beer with a shot of whiskey. The popularity of the drink has come in ebbs and flows but recently, bartenders around the country have been hearing more and more orders for boilermakers.
A Boilermaker consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey. Usually, people will pound the shot and then follow it up with a few sips of beer. Others will turn it into a Depth Charge by dropping the shot into the beer and drinking the combination.
My Boilermaker was a combination of a shot of one of my go-to Kentucky bourbons, Bulleit Bourbon and a can of FlordaFest by Concrete Beach Brewery in Wynwood. The vanilla and spicy flavors of the Bulleit transitioned well with the toasted coconut, toffee and vanilla flavors of the FloridaFest. Don’t tell anyone but there is the possibility that I might have poured a second shot halfway through the beer.
It is unclear where exactly this classic cocktail stems from but there are multiple claims of its origin.
One theory is that the Boilermaker came to be in the 1800s when blue collar workers headed to the bar after a long shift and it is believed that the drink was named after the workers who built and maintained steam locomotives during that same time period.
Another idea is that the first Boilermaker was created when Richard Trevitchick and his friends celebrated after his steam powered vehicle made its first successful climb up his village’s steepest hill on Christmas Eve in 1801.
No matter what story you lean towards, we can all appreciate the Boilermaker and the many ways you can enjoy one.
Give it a try!