Bud Light Lime In Cocktails | Boston

Craft cocktails and mass-produced, flavored beer are on different planets of the drinking galaxy.

Except when it comes to Bud Light Lime, which is currently an obsession of the fine bartenders of Boston.

At Trina's Starlite Lounge, a rotating menu of four to six Bud Light Lime cocktails is offered, alongside classic drinks made with artisanal bitters. The bar's take on the Collins, called the Jackie's Packie (click here to see the recipe), uses the beer in place of soda water. Garnished with a house-made bourbon cherry, it's irony in a glass.

And the Michelada at Tiffani Faison's Sweet Cheeks Q mixes Bud Light Lime with tequila, Tabasco and Worcestershire.

The trend launched with the Imperial Royale, a simple Bud Light Lime and St-Germain creation from two Boston bartenders. The cocktail is on menus around the city, and even has its own Facebook page and Twitter feed. We've seen variations poured in New York and Chicago as well.

The industry's embrace of Bud Light Lime is "a reaction to how serious the mixology thing got," says Beau Sturm, co-owner of Trina's. "It's tongue in cheek, sure. But most important, it's just delicious."