Today, hop heads around the world unite for IPA Day. (It's also National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, but we digress to what we know best.)

To celebrate, we teamed up with the mixologists at 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, MD and asked them to share two of their favorite beer cocktails using IPAs from yours truly. 

First up is the Rum Diary:

• 1 oz. El Dorado rum
• 1 oz. pineapple and mango shrub (house made)
• Shake the above ingredients and strain into a chilled martini glass
• Then, top with 2 oz. Single Hop Imperial IPA with El Dorado

8407's mixologists explained that IPAs were an obvious choice for beer cocktails because of their complexity. Their approach is to compliment the beer, not mask it. So they concentrate on the flavors within the bitterness, like fruitiness or resinous, and emphasize those flavors with complimentary liquors. 

The Hell's Angel, which includes a house made Habanero syrup with Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, raised the beer cocktail bar to a mind-blowing new level:

• 1 oz. Bulleit bourbon
• 1/2 oz. Pimento dram 
• 1/2 oz. Raging Bitch Habanero syrup (house made) 
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• Shake the above ingredients and strain into a tall glass with ice 
• Then, top with ginger ale 

Got your own beer cocktail creations? We want to see (and subsequently crave) them. Send them to us at realthirsty@flyingdogbrewery.com.