heads or tails

1 1/2 oz St. George's Terroir Gin
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Scrappy's Celery Bitters

Shake with ice, add 1 1/2 oz Heady Topper (or Green Flash) IPA, and strain into a cocktail glass.

One of the drinks that bartender Ran Duan wanted to showcase for us was the Heads or Tails beer cocktail. He had created something like this for Kevin Fethe, our local St. George's rep, and Evan Harrison using Green Flash IPA. I figured that the name reflected the head generated from pouring a beer or perhaps some aspect of distillation, but Ran explained that the name Heads or Tails describes the 50:50 odds of whether he can make this drink with the rare and sought-after Head Topper or not. Overall, the idea reminded me of a combination of the French 75 and Airmail beer cocktails that we made for a Mixology Monday a few years ago, but I imagined that the citrussy elements in West Coast IPAs would work better here than the Heineken Light we used.
The Heads or Tails greeted the senses with a grapefruit and celery aroma from the beer's hops and the bitters' botanicals, respectively. Next, a carbonated lime and honey sip led into an herbal swallow featuring the gin, hops, and celery. Of all the combinations, I was impressed with how well this IPA's hops complemented the celery bitters in the drink.