Snake Bite

Happy St. Patrick's Day. This is Mr. T's favorite holiday - ever! He is really only 1/32nd Irish, or something ridiculously small like that, but still really enjoys the tradition. It probably has something to do with all the beer. Even with his hazy heritage, that doesn't keep him from celebrating the holiday with the most Irish of Irish.

I don't know how to cook anything Irish, nor do I care to because who really wants to eat cabbage and corned beef anyway? I did know something that I could get for him that would make this special day a little bit better - a snake bite!

A snake bite is a beer cocktail. It is made by mixing a cider with a lager beer. In our case we used Ace Pear as the cider and Guinness as the lager beer. It is also sometimes mistakenly called a black and tan, although that is not the correct name because the "tan" in that is Harp beer. Harp and Guinness is also sometimes called a half and half.

To make a snake bite, simply pour the cider beer first. While holding the glass at an angle pour the cider down the side, trying to get as little foam as possible.
Next, pour the lager beer in the same manner. You should see a separation of the liquids.

Enjoy!

There is some interesting chemistry behind the drink, as you should have guessed. Density is defined as the mass per unit volume. In the case of a snake bite, the beers have a different density which causes the separation of the liquids. The more dense liquid is on bottom while the less dense liquid will remain on the top. The same phenomenon occurs with oil and water.

I hope you are all having a great St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy it even more with a snake bite!