Jacoby's West Texas Shandy

Photos by Caleb Kerr

Austin’s burgeoning east side has burgeoned a little more with last month’s opening of Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile, a ranch-to-table restaurant perched along the green edges of the Colorado River.

In addition to being greeted personally by restauranteur Adam Jacoby himself, your visit to Jacoby’s will include picturesque river views, outstanding Texas inspired fare (don’t miss the Stuffed Hamburger Steak), and après dinner browsing in the charming Mercantile. 

And of course, you’ll enjoy great cocktails. One cocktail in particular earned our admiration just a little more than others: the West Texas Shandy.

If you don’t already know, a traditional shandy involves a lager-style beer, topped off with a lemonade or variation on the lemon-lime theme. The shandy is often considered a summer drink, which in Texas means it’s basically a year round option.

Jacoby’s makes their West Texas Shandy just a little bit different, using Big Red soda instead of lemonade. As the story goes, while fishing the creek on the Jacoby family ranch in Melvin, Grandma Jacoby’s leisurely routine was to pour Big Red soda in her favorite beer, Coors Light.

As far as they know, Grandma Jacoby is the first person to make a shandy this way. So, that’s how Jacoby’s serves it today. 

We love the simplicity of the West Texas Shandy. We love that Adam Jacoby has given it a place on a menu that’s otherwise full of more complex flavors and preparations. We love that he’s kept the formula true to his family tradition, not replacing the Coors Light with a craft beer, or the Big Red with some mixologists’ more sophisticated interpretation. Grandma Jacoby drank Coors Light and Big Red. So that’s what you’ll drink, too. 

Here’s the recipe; it couldn’t be easier:

The West Texas Shandy



Chilled Beer Mug
Coors Light
Big Red Soda

Fill your beer mug 3/4 of the way with Coors Light. Finish the remaining 1/4 with Big Red Soda. Drink on a ranch while you watch your family catch fish.