Bavarian-Style Radler with Scratch Lemon Soda

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Alpine cyclist's drink, rebuilt from the citrus up: a warm-steeped lemon-and-grapefruit peel syrup shaken with fresh juice, lengthened with cold seltzer, then cut half-and-half with a crisp Helles lager. The peels carry all the perfume that bottled lemon soda flattens out, so the finished glass tastes like real fruit and malt instead of candy. Mixed to order in a chilled glass, it stays foamy and bracingly dry — about 2.5% ABV, which is exactly the point.

Ingredients

• 4 large lemons
• 1 red grapefruit
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 16 oz cold plain seltzer or club soda
• 2 12-oz bottles cold Helles lager or German pilsner
• 4 lemon wheels, for garnish
• 4 sprigs fresh mint (optional)

Instructions

1. Chill four 16-ounce glasses or beer mugs in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, and make sure the lager and seltzer are refrigerator-cold (38–40°F). A warm glass is the single fastest way to lose the head on a radler.
2. Scrub the lemons and grapefruit under warm water and dry them. Using a vegetable peeler, strip the zest from 3 of the lemons and half the grapefruit in wide ribbons, taking as little white pith as possible. Reserve all the fruit.
3. Put the peels in a small saucepan with the sugar and toss to coat. Let them sit 10 minutes — the sugar draws out the citrus oils and the peels will look wet and glossy.
4. Add the water and a pinch of salt. Set over medium-low heat and warm to a bare steam, about 170°F, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil; boiling cooks off the volatile oils. Hold at that temperature 5 minutes, then take it off the heat, cover, and steep 10 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, juice all 4 lemons and half the grapefruit; you want 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup grapefruit juice. Strain out seeds and pulp through a fine-mesh sieve.
6. Strain the warm syrup through the sieve into a measuring cup, pressing the peels with a spoon to release the last of the syrup, then discard the peels. Stir the citrus juice into the syrup and refrigerate until completely cold, 30 to 40 minutes (or set the cup in an ice-water bath and stir 5 minutes to rush it).
7. Build each drink: pour 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the cold citrus base into a chilled glass, then add 4 ounces cold seltzer and give it one gentle stir with a bar spoon. This is your lemon soda.
8. Tilt the glass to about 45 degrees and pour 6 ounces of cold lager slowly down the inside wall until the glass is nearly full, straightening as you go. Stop when the foam crowns just above the rim, about 1/2 inch — do not stir after the beer goes in.
9. Slip a lemon wheel onto the rim, add a mint sprig if you like, and serve immediately while the head is still tight. Repeat for the remaining glasses, keeping the base and beer in the fridge between pours.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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