Ingredients
The drink
- 150 mlginger ale
- 100 mlsoda water
- juice of half a lemon
- or half a lime
- 3dashes Angostura bitters
To serve
- plenty of ice
- a slice of lemon
- a tall glass
Sometimes added
- a splash of lemonade
- a little sugar syrup
- a sprig of mint
Directions
- Take a tall clean glass first. Fill it right up to the top with ice. Fill it properly rather than adding a few cubes.
- Add the dashes of Angostura first. Let them fall down onto the ice. Squeeze the lemon juice over the ice.
- Squeeze it directly into the glass. Pour the ginger ale over the ice. Pour it slowly down the glass side. A slow pour down the glass side keeps them.
- Top it up with the soda water. Pour it slowly in the same way. Stir it once gently with a long spoon.
- Lift the spoon from the bottom once. That is quite enough stirring. Add more lemon if it is too sweet. Add more ginger ale if it is too sharp.
- Add a little syrup if you want it sweeter. Add a slice of lemon to the glass. Add a sprig of mint if you like. Serving it is always done very cold.
- Serve it immediately while it is fizzing. It does not keep at all once made. Make it fresh each and every time.
Technique
- The only alcohol is in the bitters: Angostura is around forty-five percent, but three dashes is well under a millilitre, so the alcohol in the drink is a trace and it is not alcoholic in any real sense. It is nonetheless not entirely alcohol-free, which anyone avoiding alcohol completely should know; it can be made without the bitters, though that removes a real part of the flavour.
- Four things are needed and all of them do work: ginger ale for sweetness and spice, soda water to lengthen and lighten it, lemon for sourness and bitters for the dry bitter edge that ties the sweet and sour together.
- Fill the glass properly with ice rather than adding a few cubes, since a full glass melts more slowly where a few melt fast and water it down; and pour slowly down the side of the glass, since a fast pour knocks the bubbles out.
Substitutions
- Ginger beer works in place of ginger ale, though it is stronger and cloudier and makes a different drink.
- It can be made without the bitters to remove the trace of alcohol entirely.
Variations
- Some bars add lemonade as well, which makes it noticeably sweeter.
- Lime is used in place of lemon in some versions.
- A sprig of mint is added at some hotel bars.
History
Mixed in Malawian hotel bars since the colonial era and treated as the national drink, refreshing and near alcohol-free.
Frequently asked questions
What is Malawi Shandy?
Malawi Shandy is a cocktail from Malawi: ginger ale and soda water with lemon and a dash of Angostura bitters. Mixed in Malawian hotel bars since the colonial era and treated as the national drink, refreshing and near alcohol-free.
How long does Malawi Shandy take to make?
Malawi Shandy takes 3 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 1. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Malawi Shandy?
Yes, within limits. Ginger beer works in place of ginger ale, though it is stronger and cloudier and makes a different drink. It can be made without the bitters to remove the trace of alcohol entirely.
What is the most important thing to get right in Malawi Shandy?
Take a tall clean glass first. Fill it right up to the top with ice. Fill it properly rather than adding a few cubes.
