Cocktail Hour: Dr Pep-Beer

Someone once told me that Dr Pepper was named after the horrid and nasty Father in Law of the drink's inventor, who accidentally made the drink whilst attempting to re-create Coca Cola. The pungent aroma and "unique" flavour were so abhorrent to the inventor that he decided to name it after his wife's father, whom he detested.

This story came courtesy of a pal that hates the stuff though, and it turns out the drink was invented by a Texan drug store pharmacist in the 1885, who stumbled across the recipe whilst trying to re-create the medicinal smell of the drug store combined with the fruity scent of the in-house soda fountain. Te result was Dr Pepper, apparently named after the owner of the drug store ... and the rest, as they say, is history.

I, personally, quite like Dr Pepper. My friend (a lovely lady with rather odd taste in drinks; her personal favourite is red wine and Coke ...) told me about mixing Dr P with beer, and I gave it a go. I added a couple of ingredients to sex it up, but the basis really is that simple. And it's simply delicious!

You'll need:

• Can of Dr Pepper


• Can or bottle of a lager of your choice (I went for Budweiser Budvar)


• Splash of Angostura bitters


• Squeeze of lime

Shake it! (don't actually shake it ...)

• This is a stirred not shaken cocktail due to the carbonated ingredients.


• Rub half a lime around the rim of a tall glass.


• Half fill the glass with your chosen lager.


• Top with Dr Pepper, add the Angostura bitters and a squeeze of lime.


• Stir without vigor and enjoy!