Shandygaff

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (7 ratings)

Serve in a

Pint glass

Garnish:

None

How to make:

POUR ale into glass, TOP with ginger ale.

23 fill glass with Pilsner lager
Top up with Thomas Henry Ginger Ale
Loading...

Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

Difford’s Guide to Cocktails Book 17th Edition image

Difford’s Guide to Cocktails Book 17th Edition

Perhaps the world's biggest cocktail book! Certainly, our biggest yet, 624 pages, 6cm (2.3inch) thick and weighing 2.25kg (5lb). Our Seventeenth Edition

Buy it here
Easy Jigger image

Easy Jigger

The Easy Jigger® is a measure designed for use when making cocktails, primarily in the home but also by professional bartenders. It has a unique design

Buy it here

AKA:

Sandygaff

Review:

Tastier than your average 'lager shandy'.

History:

This drink and its name originated in England and dates back to at least the late 19th century. The name comes from the London slang for a pint of beer, 'shant of gatter' (shanty being a public house, gatter meaning water). The ginger ale serves as a flavoursome way to water down the strength of the beer, thus the literal translation, 'pub water'.

In the first chapter of The History of Mr. Polly, H. G. Wells describes a shandygaff as being, "two pints of beer and two bottles of ginger beer foaming in a huge round-bellied jug." In London the beer is now usually diluted with lemonade and this drink is now simply known as a shandy. When ordering in a pub you are expected to call for 'lager shandy' or 'bitter shandy', the latter specifying the drink should be based on traditional real ale.

Today the term 'Shandygaff' is forgotten in London but popular in the Caribbean where this drink is made with beer and ginger ale or ginger beer.

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.

Join the Discussion


... comment(s) for Shandygaff

You must log in to your account to make a comment.

Report comment

You must be logged in to upvote or downvote a comment

Click here to login
Difford’s Guide to Cocktails Book 17th Edition image

Difford’s Guide to Cocktails Book 17th Edition

Perhaps the world's biggest cocktail book! Certainly, our biggest yet, 624 pages, 6cm (2.3inch) thick and weighing 2.25kg (5lb). Our Seventeenth Edition

Buy it here
Easy Jigger image

Easy Jigger

The Easy Jigger® is a measure designed for use when making cocktails, primarily in the home but also by professional bartenders. It has a unique design

Buy it here
Welcome to Difford's Guide

All editorial and photography on this website is copyright protected

© Odd Firm of Sin 2024