My husband is from Germany and we visit his family a lot, so I’ve gotten to love German cuisine and of course, the beer! Germans love mixing their drinks, especially fruit juice with club soda, or Coke with orange soda.
“Radler” is a popular German drink that dates back to either 1922 or 1900 in Bavaria, the region he grew up in. The 1922 legend goes….an owner of a bar, short on his supply of beer, became threatened by a group of cyclists because they were thirsty from their travels. In distress, the bar owner mixed whatever beer he had with lemonade. Then Radler was born! Radler also means ‘cyclist’ in German. Through the years, the recipe has added Sprite or 7-Up instead of lemonade. I prefer soda because the bubbles make it more refreshing, especially in the summer. As for the beer, you can use Pilsner, or a Lager which is traditional. I’m also going local by using nearby Sixpoint Brewery’s Crisp Lager that’s now available for the first time in cans.
Whenever I’m on a Lufthansa flight heading to Germany, I order a Radler. Try it out sometime. The Germans will be impressed! Prost!
1 can of Sprite, 7-Up or lemon-lime soda
1 can of Lager Beer
Blend equal amounts of both ingredients in a glass.
This is also a popular drink in Australia particularly with older women. Back in the day when women were only allowed in the ladies lounge a lot of women also drank shandie’s which was beer mixed with lemonade.
That’s interesting, it’s a favorite drink for my husband’s grandmother and her friends as well. I like to drink it during the summer on a really hot day.