Back in 1989 (before I was legal, when I still wore acid washed clothing), California Cooler was my drink of choice. A few years later, I’d move on to margaritas, Midori Sours. 2013 and 2014 were both mojito years. I’m trendy like that. And in keeping with my tendency to drink with the masses, I’ve declared 2015 the Year of the Mule.
The Moscow Mule, a vivaciously refreshing cocktail with a hint of something deep. Something dark. Like that bubbly, sweet girl in the cubicle next to you that you’ve seen flip out on rare occasion; you wouldn’t be surprised to learn she’d been in prison many moons ago and shanked someone while there. She’s still super friendly, though. A total sweetheart.
That’s the mule. Citrusy and exhilarating, but its dark side will sneak up on you. I’ve been trying to whip up my own using ingredients listed on various menus and websites for weeks now. My biggest hang up was the need for ginger beer. I didn’t know what ginger beer was or where I could get it. I suppose I could have asked, but when you’re stuffing groceries into your cart at Von’s, hoping to get through your list before the growing check out lines snake any deeper into the produce, the frozen food sections, you forget common sense.
So it was a serendipitous moment when I happened past the new neighborhood beer shop while out with the fam waiting for our bicycles to be repaired. [Any shame in using the words fam, beer shop, and bicycles in the same sentence? None.] What a splendid space it was inside Stateside Crafts, one wall stocked with chilled bottles of brew and other beverages, another full of beer-friendly snacks and knickknacks. And in the back, a bar, stools primed for beer-sampling locals ready to taste Stateside Crafts’ offerings on tap.
Again, family trip so no beer tasting for us (though I suppose I could have had my 13-year-old spend some time window shopping at the reptile store further down), but I did finally get wise enough to ask about ginger beer, throwing in that I was looking to mix up a Moscow Mule.
The staff person did more than help a sista out with the ginger beer. He gave me a whole recipe, telling me to use the ginger beer he’d recommended (one that was incredibly spicy in the ginger sort of way – Maine Root), a shot of Jameson (I’d been using vodka!), a couple drops of orange bitters, a little club soda, and a squeeze of lime.
I didn’t have orange, so instead used Angostura bitters, but the substitution worked well for me. When mixed and served iced, it was just like sipping a cocktail at a restaurant happy hour. This drink brought me out of the wine-at-home slump I’ve been in for months that kept me in a near catatonic state. The beauty of cocktails is that they buzz me without making me crash. So with more Tuesdays ahead of me, I’m ready and willing to try out a few more cocktails to share on this here blog. Ypa! (Russian for Cheers!)
Stateside Crafts
4242 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach