World Cup Party: Drink Up, Argentina and Germany
Illustration credit: Jennifer Fox
On Sunday, Argentina and Germany go head to head to determine who will, at last, take the World Cup.
We’ve been mighty opinionated in what to eat over the course of the Cup, and we’d understand if you filled your tables with German pretzels and fat, steak-filled Argentine empanadas (or steak with chimichurri sauce, if you’re more of a sit-and-stare-at-the-TV-with-a-belly-full-of-grub sort of person).
But! You know what else is great? Drinking. In Argentina, if The Washington Post is to be believed, “Fernet con Cola” is where it’s at. Writer Fritz Hahn has fond memories of the combo “of minty, herbal Fernet Branca and Coca-Cola” writing that it’s “a staple in Argentina." (Recipe: Pour Fernet into a glass full of ice and top with Coke, to taste.)
As for Germany, you could go for the obvious stein brimming with beer, sure, but you could also go straight to Shandy Country. There’s a reason we deemed it the Cocktail Made for Hours of Sunny Day Drinking, and the Germans are totally on board with that. According to West Berlin-based writer J. Elke Ertle, they’ll mix sparkling water, wine, or beer with various fruit juices, and tip back pints of the stuff. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic spritzers include the Radler: “the result of mixing beer with lemonade.” A Spezi: “Coke and Orange Fanta.” And a “cooling Berliner Weiße… achieved when raspberry or woodruff syrup are mixed with wheat beer.”
Well, thanks, Germany, now our day drinking feels inadequate by comparison. Here’s that shandy recipe, in case you, like us, are happy enough with “close enough.” Since we didn’t make it into the Cup this year, anyways.
So viva Germany and Argentina!
Lime Shandies
From Martha Stewart
Makes 4
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons sugar
4 light-bodied beers, such as pilsner
Lime wedges, for garnish
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Divide mixture among 4 tall glasses and top with beer. Garnish each with a lime wedge and serve immediately.
More recipes from Martha Stewart
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