Shandy

Shandy is beer mixed with a carbonated soft drink, most often lemonade. The proportions and the kind of beer vary; a common starting point is equal parts beer and lemonade.

Pour chilled beer into a glass, then top it up with chilled lemonade. Add the lemonade slowly to keep the fizz and prevent the head rising too quickly.

Use a clear, sparkling lemonade for the familiar sweet, citrusy drink. In British usage, lemonade usually means a fizzy lemon soft drink, not still homemade lemon juice and water.

Yes. Lager gives a light, crisp shandy, while ale makes it maltier and fuller-tasting; choose a beer whose flavour you still enjoy once diluted.

A beer mixed with ginger beer is commonly called a ginger shandy. The ginger adds a spicier flavour than lemonade.

Serve it straight after mixing, in a chilled glass, so it stays fizzy. Both the beer and the lemonade should be cold before you pour.

Usually, yes: the beer contributes alcohol, although mixing it with lemonade dilutes it. Alcohol-free beer can be used to make an alcohol-free version; check that the beer itself is labelled alcohol-free.

It is best mixed just before serving because the carbonation fades quickly. You can chill the unopened ingredients ahead of time, but avoid storing an already mixed shandy.