Editor’s note: This Mixologist Report marks the first in what will be a series highlighting creations by bartenders in the quad cities area of Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston and Clarkston and surrounding towns. We started with Kris Maxey, an owner and bartender at Brock’s, 504 Main St., Lewiston, who said the Holiday Mule featured here has been a popular seasonal drink at the artsy downtown bar the past four years. He’s had a number of requests for the recipe, but is sharing it here for the first time.
— Mary Stone
Holiday Mule
Ingredients:
2-3 lime wedges
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup (Maxey uses a bitter simple syrup, for more flavor)
1 ½ ounces spiced rum ((Maxey uses Captain Morgan)
½ ounce cranberry juice
Ice
Ginger beer (Maxey uses Cock & Bull)
Lime wedge, dried cranberries and fresh rosemary, for garnish
Directions:
Start with 2-3 lime wedges in a traditional mule mug (usually copper or stainless steel-lined copper), add ½ ounce lime juice, ½ ounce of simple syrup (1-to-1 mixture of sugar and water, heated to combine into a smooth syrup, then cooled), 1 ½ ounces of spiced rum and ½ ounce cranberry juice. Use a pestle to muddle the lime, alcohol and juices. Pack the mug with ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge, dried cranberries and fresh rosemary.
Maxey describes his Holiday Mule as a drink experienced as much with the nose as the tongue.
A sprig of fresh, organic, locally sourced rosemary tops the cocktail, giving it a festive look and a distinctive aroma that, combined with the classic mule flavors of ginger beer and lime, makes for a seasonal beverage with an olfactory kick. The addition of cranberry juice and a garnish of dried cranberries contributes to the yuletide flavor.
Using spiced rum in lieu of the vodka typically present in a Moscow mule further imbues Maxey’s creation with its eponymous holiday flair.
But it’s the rosemary that truly elevates the drink.
“That gives it that beautiful aroma,” he said.
