Half and half

Half and half refers to various beverages or liquid foods made of an equal-parts mixture of two substances, including dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks.

Alcoholic beverages

Belgium

In some cafés in Brussels, a "half en half", Dutch for "half and half", is a mixture of white wine and champagne."^[1] Originally, it was a mixture of two different typical beer types from Brussels: 50% lambic and 50% faro."^[2]

Denmark

If you order a "half and half" in a Copenhagen bar, you will get a mixture of dark beer and pilsner (lager). The dark beer is a Danish version of an Imperial stout-type beer - in Denmark simply called "porter", which is a little sweeter than a Guinness.

Ireland, Britain and North America

Black and Tan drinks prepared with a blend of Guinness stout and Bass pale ale

In Ireland, a half and half is a combination of Guinness draught and Harp or Smithwicks Ale, with the Guinness in a layer on top.

In Britain, a half and half may also mean a mixture of mild ale and bitter.

In the North East of England, a request for a half and half would more commonly produce a combination of Scotch ale and India Pale Ale (IPA). This drink fell from favour when the Scottish & Newcastle brewery were obliged to sell many of their tied public houses and McEwan's Scotch and IPA disappeared from public bars across the North East.

In Canada and the United States, capitalized Half & Half is Guinness draught and Bass Pale Ale. A lower case half & half is a generic Guinness draught. Black and tan is any lager or ale that will support the Guinness draught, although some Irish-themed bars shun the term for its association with the Black and Tans. In the U.S., the terms (Half and Half, Black and Tan, etc.) are not actually interchangeable. All of the versions start with Guinness Stout. "Black and Tan" refers to Guinness and Bass. "Half and Half" is Guinness and Harp. Guinness and Smithwick's is a Blacksmith.

Scotland

A hauf an a hauf.

In Scotland, a half and a half (a hauf an a hauf)^[3] is a glass of whisky (a "wee hauf", a quarter gill)^[4] and a half-pint of beer as a 'chaser'.^[5][6]

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia

"Pola pola" ("half and half") is a slang term for the drink spritzer, made out of equal parts of white wine or rosé wine and carbonated water. Different ratios of wine and carbonated water are named with various slang terms, depending on the region. "Pola pola" is also known as "litra i voda" (one bottle of wine and one bottle of carbonated water), as well as "Litar-litar" (as in 1 liter of wine, 1 liter of water) and "Gemišt".

Switzerland

In Switzerland, and more particularly in Valais, a half & half is a mixture of dry and sweet liquor of the same fruit. In the canton of Geneva, a "moitié-moitié" generally refers to a digestif containing one half Williamine liqueur and one half Williamine eau-de-vie. In the canton of Ticino, a mezz e mezz (literally half and half in the local Ticinese dialect) refers to a mixture of one half local Merlot wine and one half gazosa (a local lemon-flavoured carbonated soft drink).^[7]

Uruguay

In Uruguay there's a beverage called "Medio y Medio" ("half and half") that consists of sweet sparkling wine and dry white wine in equal parts. "Medio y medio" comes in Red, Rosé and White varieties, the latter being the original and most popular. It is massively consumed during the holidays but it can be found in certain places throughout the year as well. The most common "Medio y Medio" is the one produced by Roldós, a local restaurant that claims having invented the mixture.

"Medio y medio" is also the name for another cocktail, made with White Vermouth and "Caña" (literally "cane"), a 35%-50% alcoholic beverage distilled from sugar cane. This name, however, is used not in the majority of bars but only in the most traditional ones, probably due to the existence of Roldós' "Medio y Medio".

Non-alcoholic beverages

The Arnold Palmer, also known as a half and half, is popular in the Northeastern United States. The drink consists of 1 part lemonade and 1 part iced tea; variations may include a mixture of sweet and unsweetened tea. Some coffee shops in colder climates serve a half and half drink consisting of half coffee and half hot chocolate, similar to cafe mocha. Half & Half might also refer to a flavor of soda which combines the flavors of grapefruit and lemon.

Canada and the United States

In Canada and the United States, half and half (known as "half cream" in the United Kingdom) almost always refers to a light cream typically used in coffee. The name refers to the liquid's content of half milk and half cream. Its butterfat content is 12.5%.^[8] It is widely available in the United States, both in individual-serving containers and in bulk. It is also used to make ice cream. Non-fat versions of the product are also available, containing corn syrup and other ingredients.^[9]

Switzerland

In the Romandy, a moitié-moitié (lit. half-half) can refer to coffee mixed with an equal amount of milk..

In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, especially in the north-eastern part, a mixture of apple and orange juice is known as "halb halb" ("half half", sometimes written 1+1^[10]).^[11]

Dairy product

Coffee mixed with half and half

Half and half can refer to a mixture of milk and cream, which is often used in coffee. In the United States, half and half is a common liquid product produced by dairy companies in premixed form.

Half-and-half consists of a mixture of milk and cream which contains between 10.5 and 18 percent milkfat. It is pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized, and may be homogenized.

(b) Optional ingredients. The following optional ingredients may be used:

(1) Emulsifiers.

(2) Stabilizers.

(3) Nutritive sweeteners.

(4) Characterizing flavoring ingredients (with or without coloring) as follows:

(i) Fruit and fruit juice (including concentrated fruit and fruit juice).

(ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring.^[12]

Milkette

Coffee creamer in milkette containers

A milkette, (also referred to as dairy milker, creamette or creamers) is a single serving of milk (2%) or cream (10% and 18%) in 12 millilitres (0.42 imp fl oz; 0.41 US fl oz) containers used for coffee and tea. They are a common condiment at coffee shops and on airlines in Canada and the United States.

The single cup of milk is stored in a sealed (foil cover) plastic cup of milk or cream with long shelf life.^[13] They are sold in bulk amounts (bagged or in paper board box) of 100s. They are usually bought for commercial use, but individual consumers can purchase bulk orders.

Food

Half and half, in Wales is commonly understood to be a bed of half chips and half rice.^[14][15] A classic selection would be "chicken curry half and half" or "chili con carne half and half".

In the Netherlands, "half om half gehakt" (half for half) is commonly used for mixed minced meat, made of equal amounts of beef and pork (or lamb in Islamic butchers). The term "Gehacktes halb und halb" is used in Germany, also referring to minced meat.

In Switzerland, Moitié-moitié (lit. half-half) refers to a cheese fondue made with half Gruyère and half Vacherin Fribourgeois.

In the United States, a half and half pizza is prepared in two different styles, one on each half of the pizza.^[16]

A half and half pizza: half pepperoni, half cheese

References

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