HOME entertaining is the buzz word for 2020. For obvious reasons, more people are embracing the entertaining-at-home trend and the drinks industry has answered in kind with prebatched cocktails, ready-made drinks and cocktail kits to facilitate at-home imbibing. But since the early days of its conception, the Angostura Rock Shandy has always been the go-to drink for company.
Effortless and appetising, mixing it is easy when you consider it is a three-ingredient classic that can be made in mere minutes. All it takes is equal parts lemonade and soda over ice with a few generous dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters to taste… and it’s those essential dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters that make it the ultimate summer refreshment.
Of course, when entertaining a group, it’s by far the easiest cocktail to whip up as a batch for the whole gang. Which is where the Lazy Rock Shandy comes in handy, because why spend your day mixing individual drinks when you can make a jug that will last hours (or maybe not)?
And for those who want to ‘level up’ their mix, here are a couple of quirks for this summertime classic.
Ice, ice baby
Summer is here so you best stock your freezer with as many ice trays as it allows. In the summer heat, there’s nothing better than an ice-cold drink. Why not up the ante this season by adding something extra to your ice trays? Like… bitters ice cubes. Not only will they keep your drinks cold, but will add a depth of flavour. Just grab your favourite big cube or sphere ice moulds, add four or five dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters to each well, fill with water, and freeze as usual.
Garnish up
The best garnish to use in the Angostura Rock Shandy is citrus like lemon and lime. Why not create your own dried fruit garnish? They are easy to make, plus you’ll have instant beautiful fruit garnish for your Lazy Rock Shandy. Once added, the lemon and lime slices will rehydrate, and the flavour will be even more intense. There are fancy dehydrating machines you can buy, but for a home hack simply turn on your oven to its lowest setting, slice your lemon or lime thinly (not too thin, mind you!) and place on baking paper, and place them in the oven. Check on them every 30min, it should take a few hours.
Exactly how many dashes?
The typical Rock Shandy takes 4 -6 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters, but many (especially bartenders mixing for themselves) add extra.
To help you along with your home entertaining, Angostura aromatic bitters is giving away Lazy Rock Shandy kits (including a Rock Shandy jug; bottle of Angostura aromatic bitters plus mixers) throughout October when you interact on its ocial media channels. If you don’t want to miss out, keep your eyes peeled on Facebook /Angostura South Africa and Instagram @AngosturaZA #AngosturaRockShandy #AngosturaNakedRockShandy.
Also, stand a chance to win one of four cocktail experiences worth R5 000 each at one of SA’s top bars. You don’t want to miss a shindig at Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen and Cape Brandy bar in Cape Town, Lucky Shaker in Durban, or The Landmark and Sin + Tax in Joburg. Competition closes on October 30, 2020 – and all you have to do is say what the essential ingredient in any Angostura Rock Shandy is. Click here to enter.
For more information on Angostura bitters and cocktail recipes, click here.