A snakebite is a 50/50 mix of hard cider and lager, poured into a pint glass. It’s one of the simplest drinks you can make, but the pouring technique matters if you want clean layers instead of a murky blend. Here’s how to do it right.
The Basic Pour
Start with a standard 16-ounce pint glass. Pour 8 ounces of hard apple cider first, filling the glass roughly halfway. Then top it off with 8 ounces of lager. That’s the classic version: equal parts, one glass, no garnish, no ice.
The order matters. Cider goes in first because it’s slightly denser than most lagers, which helps the two liquids stay more distinct in the glass. If you reverse the order, the cider drops through the lager and you lose any visual separation.
How to Layer It Cleanly
If you want a defined two-tone look rather than a uniform mix, you need to slow down the second pour. Hold a spoon upside down inside the glass, with the tip resting against the inside wall just above the cider line. Then pour the lager gently over the back of the spoon, letting it trickle down the side of the glass and settle on top of the cider.
The spoon interrupts the flow and prevents the lager from plunging into the cider below. Pour slowly and steadily. Rushing it defeats the purpose. The result is a glass with a pale golden lager layer floating above a slightly darker or amber cider layer, depending on the brands you use.
If you’re not concerned about presentation, just pour the lager straight in. The drink tastes the same either way.
Choosing Your Cider and Lager
The classic British snakebite uses a dry or semi-dry hard apple cider and a standard pale lager. Strongbow, Magners, or any widely available dry cider works well. For the lager, something light and clean like a pilsner or pale lager keeps the balance right. You’re not looking for bold flavors on either side. The appeal is the combination: the crispness of lager smoothed out by the sweetness of cider.
Some versions swap the lager for a dry Irish stout like Guinness. This creates a more dramatic layered look (dark on top, golden below) and a richer flavor profile. The spoon technique becomes even more important with stout, since the heavier pour can easily break through the cider layer without it.
Snakebite and Black
The most popular variation adds blackcurrant cordial or liqueur to the mix, turning it into a “snakebite and black.” Pour about 1.5 ounces of blackcurrant into the bottom of the pint glass before adding anything else. Then pour the cider, then the lager on top. The blackcurrant adds a deep purple tint to the lower half of the glass and a fruity sweetness that cuts the dryness of both the cider and lager. A small dash of cordial gives a subtler effect if you prefer less sweetness.
Does Mixing Make It Stronger?
Snakebites have a reputation for hitting harder than a regular pint, but the chemistry doesn’t support it. Most lagers and ciders sit in the same 4 to 6 percent alcohol range, so combining them produces a drink of roughly the same strength as either one on its own. There’s no chemical reaction between the two. The main ingredients are identical: water, alcohol, and carbohydrates. They simply blend together.
The feeling of getting drunk faster is likely psychological. The drink goes down easily because the cider softens the bitterness of the lager, and the carbonation from both keeps it refreshing. People tend to drink smoother beverages faster without realizing it.
Why Some Pubs Won’t Serve It
You may have heard that snakebites are banned in the UK. They’re not. There is no law in England that prohibits selling them. The confusion comes from the fact that many individual pubs and bars have house policies against serving the drink, usually because of concerns about rowdy behavior or rapid consumption. This was especially common during the drink’s peak popularity in the 1980s, when it became a staple among students, punks, and goths. Some licensing authorities can impose restrictions on specific premises based on past incidents, but that’s rare and site-specific, not a blanket rule.
If a bartender tells you they can’t make one, it’s almost certainly a house rule, not the law.
Quick Reference
- Glass: Standard 16-ounce pint glass
- Ratio: Half cider, half lager
- Pour order: Cider first, lager on top
- Layering tool: Back of a spoon, held against the glass wall
- For snakebite and black: Add 1 to 1.5 ounces of blackcurrant cordial before the cider
- Temperature: Both drinks chilled, no ice