Even though Boilermakers are enjoying a current fad, cocktails that unite beer and spirits are not a modern invention. According to Esquire’s resident cocktail historian, David Wondrich, a recipe for what we now call a Boilermaker (a glass of beer with a shot of whiskey dumped into it) made its written debut in James Wiley and Helene Griffith’s popular bartending guide, The Art of Mixing, back in 1932. Wondrich reports that the drink was then called a Block and Fall because you’d drink two, then walk a block and fall. Given its mythic potency, it’s no wonder that the Boilermaker is on a cultural loop and resurfaces with about the same frequency of, say, tweezed eyebrows or high-waisted pants.
Look for a thoughtful (and delicious) twist on the Boilermaker at Peekskill Brewery. The Gin Standard comprises Brooklyn-distilled Dorothy Parker gin, pomegranate syrup, lemon, and Bitterman’s Hopped Grapefruit IPA.
47-53 S Water St, Peekskill (914) 734-2337 thepeekskillbrewery.com
At The Tapp in Tarrytown, you’ll find the Boss Hog, in which a “healthy shot” of elegant WhistlePig Straight Rye is unceremoniously dumped into a glass of yellow, cheap, fizzy Pabst Blue Ribbon draft beer. Yikes.
17 N Broadway, Tarrytown (914) 703-6022 thetappny.com
At Gleason’s in Peekskill, you’ll find two swank twists on the down-and-dirty Boilermaker. Beer Cocktail #1 blends Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon with New Hampshire-based Smuttynose IPA flavored with Drink More Good ginger ale syrup and fresh lemon juice. Beer Cocktail #2 pours Brooklyn-sourced Greenhook Ginsmiths American Dry Gin into Southampton’s Double White with lavender simple syrup and fresh lime juice.
911 South St, Peekskill (914) 402-1950 gleasonspeekskill.com
At BUtterfield 8 in White Plains, you’ll find three Boilermakers that explore the frightening frontiers of flavored vodkas. The Angry Irishman blends Stoli Hot jalapeño-flavored vodka with Magner’s Irish Cider. The Orange Moon combines Stoli Orhanj vodka with Blue Moon beer. Finally, there is the Bee Sting: Bud Light, Stoli Vanil vodka, and orange juice.
147 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains (914) 358.4881; butterfield8wp.com