October 4, 2012

Mixology: Bring On The Beer

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Beer cocktails are quite the enigma. They have been an area of personal research for the past few weeks. I still do not know what to think. There have been hits. There have been misses. Nothing has truly blown me away yet, but this project really has no deadline at the moment.

What really got me started on this was a drink at Stella’s. When I go for drinks at Stella’s, I usually get something that sounds different, but something I know I will like. Take “Hummingbird” as an example. It involves vodka, watermelon juice, lemon, honey and basil. It is not a drink I would / could make at home, but it’s safe. I know I will like that drink. Then there’s “The Hop Cartel.” With a description listing pale ale, Scotch, honey and grapefruit bitters, I am instantly intrigued. But scared. Do I really want to invest $8 on a drink with that many heavy components? Yes. So I order. It comes with a hop floating atop a slightly frothy, deep amber concoction. It is not similar to anything I usually drink, but that was expected and welcomed. “The Hop Cartel” is smoky, hoppy (indeed) and surprisingly drinkable.

Then I went to Chili’s where you can get an appetizer and two full entrees for $20. Chili’s does not have beer cocktails. They have Coronaritas. If you don’t mind, I’d like to break it down for a better understanding here. Coronarita = margarita + Coronita, a mini Corona UPSIDE DOWN IN A MARGARITA.

I never ordered a Coronarita from the famed Chili’s, but I did attempt to make my own. The whole upside-down-bottle-thing is great for marketing, but I avoided that. I just poured some beer into a margarita. It was no “The Hop Cartel,” but it was a nice drink to numb one’s taste buds before the inevitable onset of Keystone. I used Blue Moon, cut the painful sweetness of the mango margarita, leaving a mellow, fruity drink with plenty of tequila and just a touch of froth.

Shake up:9.6 oz. Goya mango nectar1 1/2 oz. silver tequila 1/2 oz. triple secIce

Top with:4-5 oz. Blue Moon Belgian White

I ran out of Blue Moon and tequila (sue me!), so I tried this recipe again with Keystone and Barton’s. Don’t do that.

Original Author: Sarah McKeen