Bartending/Cocktails/Black and Tan

The Black and Tan is, appropriately, a mixture of black- and tan-colored beers.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pint Guinness Stout
• 1/2 pint Bass Ale^[1]

1. ↑ Note:For a 'Half and Half' Harp's lager can be used

Glass

• Pint

Instructions

Layer stout over ale

Notes

• The Stout and Pale Ale are not immiscible in the same sense as oil and water. Most layered drinks depend on the use of ingredients with different specific gravities, but in this case both beers have approximately the same specific gravity; the high viscosity of the stout is the only reason that it can be layered over the ale. In practice, this means that creating a layered Black and Tan requires a little more finesse than, say, making a Brain Hemorrhage shooter. Guinness suggests filling the glass halfway with your "tan," tilting it at a 45 degree angle, and slowly adding the stout. Of course, the normal spoon-layering technique can be used as well. Finally, know that the layering has more to do with flair bartending than with the drink itself, and an unlayered Black and Tan is perfectly acceptable in many parts of the world.

• There are a few bottled Black and Tans on the market, such as The Mississippi Brewing Company's Mississippi Mud Black and Tan and Yuengling's Black and Tan.

• The term "Black and Tan" should be used with caution in Ireland, as it can refer to a unionist paramilitary group and as such can offend Irish nationalists. See "Half and Half" below.

Related Cocktails

• The Half and Half, which replaces the Bass with Harp Lager. In a more general sense, the terms "Half and Half" and "Black and Tan" are often used interchangeably, so it is probably best to verify what the customer wants in his drink.