Black Velvet and Other Mixed Drinks with Guinness

Guinness is not just for pints; it can be mixed too. The most famous is the Black Velvet, a combination of stout and sparkling wine from 1861, followed by layered beer drinks like the Black and Tan and the Half and Half.

Black Velvet: a mourning drink for a prince

The Black Velvet was created at Brooks's Club in London in 1861, after the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. The barman declared that even champagne should be in mourning, and dressed it in black by topping it up with Guinness. It is simple to make: fill a tall glass halfway with chilled sparkling wine or champagne, then slowly top up with stout over the back of a spoon so the layers form. The combination of dry bubbles and creamy stout works with surprising elegance.

Layered beer classics

• Black and Tan: pale lager in the bottom half, Guinness on top, poured carefully over the back of a spoon. Thanks to the nitrogen, the stout is lighter and floats on top.
• Half and Half: the Irish version, with Harp Irish lager as the base. In Ireland, this is the name to order it by.
• Snakebite: half cider, half stout; with Magners on tap, we can manage that one too.

Guinness in cocktails with spirits

Guinness also turns up in stronger combinations. In the Irish Car Bomb, a shot of Baileys and whiskey is dropped into a glass of stout; because of the insensitive name, we prefer to call it the Irish Slammer. There is also a Guinness Martini with espresso, and punches where stout stands in for part of the dark rum.

Rules for mixing with stout

• Always pour the stout last, and over a spoon. The nitrogen head makes layering easier.
• Both components must be well chilled, or the layers will blend.
• Use straight tall glasses; layers are harder to read in a tulip glass.

Want to see a Black Velvet layered live? At Little Island in Frydek-Mistek we have both Guinness and Magners on tap, so we have plenty to build with. You will find us at tr. T. G. Masaryka 1129.