A BEER COCKTAIL THAT TAKES LESS THAN 3 MINUTES TO MAKE AND USES ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS!
Okay, stick with me here. You've had a Miller High Life I am sure before in your lifetime...but have you ever had a Miller High Life with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice before? I hadn't either until I visited my best friend in Minneapolis and we found ourselves with a platter of buffalo wings and two Miller High Lifes with lemons as our order while watching a game.
It wasn't until a few months later that a bartender told me about the Spaghett. It is an excellent summer staple that is made in less than 3 minutes and uses only 3 ingredients! It requires a Miller High Life, fresh lemon juice, and Aperol. I KNOW - that's it. It's essentially an Aperol Spritz with the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life instead of prosecco. How fun! And the ease is not even the best part. It's the taste! You are left with the most refreshing, slightly bubbly, light beverage that just takes a spritz to a whole another level! Not to mention, Miller High Life is much more affordable than most beers out there making hosting for a large crowd cost-efficient!
And you know me. After taking one sip of the spaghett, I immediately got to thinking...what if we switch out the traditionally-used Aperol for Rooh Afza? Yes, they happen to be in the same color family but while Rooh Afza is slightly sweeter (okay...much SWEETER) than Aperol, BOTH have an herbal backbone and a citrusy effervescence- making this substitute I-C-O-N-I-C and that's being modest.
It's a game day weekend, there's an Usher concert, AND it's Galentine's weekend - get you a cocktail that is easy to make and checks off all the boxes. The Spaghett is the moment. While this one might be favored in the summer, I love watching a big game with a beer in hand. And when it comes to hosting? The Spagett is spectacular - especially if you want to make things extra fun and make a Spaghett bar in which your guests can take a big glug of the beer, and then add in the right amount of Rooh Afza and/or Aperol to their liking, and then, of course, garnishing with some lemon! It'll be such a hit at your party!!!
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INGREDIENTS
1 12 oz bottle of Miller High Life
1/2 oz of Rooh Afza (feel free to alter to your taste and use more/less)
1 oz of freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus extra lemon wedges for garnish
DIRECTIONS
You are most welcome to mix all of the ingredients in the glass, but there's something so fun about serving this one up in the Miller High Life glass bottle. And the added benefit? Ease of clean up- no dishes!
If you are planning to drink and serve the Spaghett up (in the traditional way) in the bottle, start by taking a big sip of the Miller High Life. You'll want to roughly drink about 1-2 oz. If you are making these in advance, another way is to pour out exactly 2 oz or 4 tablespoons of the beer. You can either place it in a different glass or container. If you have a growler on hand, I'd use that!
Then, slowly pour the Rooh Afza syrup into the beer. I like to use a jigger but you can also use a funnel as well! Just be sure to go as slow as possible to make sure the Miller High Life doesn't carbonate and spill over.
Then, add your lemon juice slowly to the bottle.
Add a smaller lemon wedge to the rim of the bottle and that's all she wrote. Enjoy!
~ Serves 1
Notes
I would highly recommend using Miller High Life for this recipe as it has the right amount of bubbliness/flavor but if you were to substitute any beer, I'd make sure to use a light beer that is similar in taste profile to the Miller High Life!
If you are making it for a crowd and want to switch things up AND not serve these up DIY-style, simply prep your Rooh Afza and lemon juice before for a crowd. For example, for a group of 8 that would call for 4 oz of Rooh Afza and 8 oz of lemon juice. Combine and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Once your guests arrive, in a pitcher pour in your beers (you'll roughly need 7-7 1/2 beers) and then add in your Rooh Afza-lemon juice mixture. Stir to combine and serve in either beer glasses or tumblers. Easy! :)
Rooh Afza...what is it? Rooh Afza is a syrup that is made with various herbs and fruits. It is a bright red color and is typically mixed with milk. It can be found at numerous online retailers (Walmart and Amazon) for example as well as your local Indian grocer. I love having this syrup on my bar cart as I think it has such a dynamic flavor profile and is so great when added to a bunch of cocktails. It doesn't stop there. I also love baking with it! Check out my Rooh Afza cake recipe while you're at it!