Black & Tan (Non-Alcoholic)

At first I entertained myself with trying to keep the ginger beer and ginger ale from combining, to pour them so carefully that one would float on the other. This worked, to the extent you could see it, if not photograph it (the line is along the triangle of the WAMU logo.) But it didn't matter. You can try to pour these separately over a spoon and be as careful as you can, but you still get a drink that is more interesting than ginger ale and more tame than ginger beer.

Cock And Bull ginger beer makes for an interesting ice-free cocktail as well. It looks like you're having a beer, which is sort of the point.

• ginger ale
• ginger beer
• lime slice

Pour liquids into a pint glass and float the lime slice on top.

Suffering Bastard

It's a hangover cure, a gin drink, a brandy drink and a ginger beer cocktail. But we should note that Angostura bitters is the main ingredient when it comes to taste. A tablespoon of bitters has an outsize effect on a drink.

My new ginger beer is Cock and Bull, a funny label that indicates that this product is a Moscow Mule mixer. What about a Bastard mixer?

• 2 oz. gin (Strange Monkey used)
• 1 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 tbsp. Angostura bitters
• ginger beer
• cucumber slice
• mint sprig
• lime slice

Coat the inside of a Collins glass with Angostura bitters. Combine gin, brandy, lime juice and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into the highball glass and top with ginger beer. Garnish with cucumber, mint and lime.