Black & Tan

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (3 ratings)

Serve in a

Pint glass

Garnish:

None

How to make:

POUR pale ale or lager into chilled glass then carefully FLOAT Guinness on top.
Layering can be aided by pouring down the stout/porter down the shaft of a bar spoon so that the flat end dissipates the falling porter/stout. Or, an upturned tablespoon or a purpose-made black-and-tan may be used. This is bent in the middle of the handle so that it can be secured on the edge of a pint glass.

12 pint Pale ale
12 pint Stout beer
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Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

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David Embury's birthday

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Recipe contains the following allergens:

Review:

A layered drink with pale ale (or lager) downstairs and stout upstairs. If poured correctly these two beers make a perfect "black and tan" layer in the glass.

History:

In England, it is commonplace to blend different styles of beers when serving (e.g. light & bitter) and this dates back to at least the 17th century. In the case of the Black and Tan, this is traditionally porter and now more commonly stout (the "black" coloured top) poured over pale ale (the tan coloured base), although lager is favoured in place of pale ale by some. The porter or stout will lay on top of the pale ale (or lager) due to its lower relative density.

It's likely that the term "black and tan" also originated in England with the earliest written usage attributed to an 1881 edition of the American magazine Puck [we have not been able to verify]. The first definition of the term Black and Tan as being a mix of beers is found in the 1889 A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant, vol. 1 (A–K) (page 124) by Albert Barrère and Charles Godfrey Leland, published in London by The Ballantyne Press.

"Black-and-tan (street), half-and-half, porter and ale mixed. (American), applied to black and brown terriers. A mulatto, a mixture of mulattoes and blacks. During the Civil War, the South was called the black-and-tan country, from the planters "tanning" or beating their slaves."

In Ireland, the term "Black and Tans" was a nickname for the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force due to their black and khaki uniforms. The Black and Tans were sent into Ireland in the early 1920s to suppress the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and quickly gained a reputation for their brutality. They were also associated with reprisal attacks on civilians including murder, arson and looting. Hence, in Ireland, a bar order for a Black & Tan is likely to cause offence and the mix of ale and stout is simply a "half & half".

Nutrition:

One serving of Black & Tan contains 1088 calories.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.8 standard drinks
  • 4.32% alc./vol. (8.64° proof)
  • 24.5 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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David Embury's birthday image

David Embury's birthday

The author of that seminal work, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David Augustus Embury was born on this day in 1886 in Pine Woods, upstate New York. He

Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night Cocktails image

Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night Cocktails

Remember, remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.

National Nacho Day image

National Nacho Day

Not a fan of nachos? Then today is nacho lucky day! Yes, today is National Nacho Day, a day dedicated to those delicious fried tortilla chips that we love

National Harvey Wallbanger Day image

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

Of all the cocktails to have its very own day, the Harvey Wallbanger is probably the most surprising. But, yes, Harvey Wallbanger Day is a thing in American.

Irish Coffee arrived in America this day image

Irish Coffee arrived in America this day

The splendidly named Stanton Delaplane, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, may have won a Pulitzer Prize for Reporting, but his legacy remains

Happy Hour Day image

Happy Hour Day

Every hour should be happy but in most bars, this term does not reflect a collective state of joyousness but a period of comparatively cheap booze. Not

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