Full disclosure: Kristie Jones is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We were housemates in college. She is one of the brightest, most creative people I know. And there's no way I can write about her without bias.
I had never heard of a Moscow Mule until Kristie told me she was creating a recipe to give the classic cocktail an Arkansas twist and invited me along to be a taste tester.
Kristie's creation, the Black Apple Mule, was for the Shiftgig/Smirnoff's Moscow Mule Challenge. The mission: Create a Moscow Mule that showcases the local flavors of your area, but still adheres to the original. Snap a picture and submit the photo along with the recipe.
Kristie, whose day job is with the state, writes the blog loveonmainstreet.wordpress.com and is an avid social media user. Shiftgig invited her to participate in the contest after she posted about drinking Moscow Mules.
"My affinity for the Mule began during Social Hour at South on Main last summer," Kristie explains.
"The amazing bartender David Burnette mixed a lovely one for me. I began experimenting with ingredients last August."
For the cocktail development session, Kristie and I met at what was Maduro Cigar Lounge on Main Street at the time (the space is now occupied by 109 & Co. with plans for Maduro to reopen in a new location sometime this year).
"The most challenging part of developing the recipe was choosing the regional element. The original mule recipe is wonderfully simple. So how can I choose ingredients that would make it simple to re-create but unique to Arkansas?" Kristie says.
To give her Mule an Arkansas signature, Kristie had spent her lunch hour strolling the stalls of the Little Rock Farmers Market looking for inspiration.
She found it in Arkansas black apples. The apples had the deepest, darkest red skin. The flavor was sweet-tart with floral notes of rose.
Kristie enlisted the expertise of Michael Peace, owner and bar manager of Maduro and 109 & Co., for the mixing of the final recipe. My "expert" taste buds were lucky enough to go along for the ride.
After about four test runs, the winning mule was born.
Using Kristie's recipe and specifications, Peace crushed, muddled and poured. With a canvas bag and a large mallet, he crushed the ice to a slushy texture, then piled it high in a copper mug. Next he muddled diced Arkansas black apples with lime juice and bitters. He added vodka to the muddled mixture and gave it a good shake, before straining it into the ice-filled copper mug. Finally he topped the mixture off with some ginger beer and a sprig of mint.
One sip and I knew Kristie had created an award-worthy cocktail.
But would the judges?
According to organizers, more than 200 cocktails were submitted. The recipes were judged on originality, regional flair and taste.
Five winners were selected, each representing a different region: West, South Central, Midwest, South Atlantic and Northeast.
Fortunately for Kristie, the judges agreed with me, and The Black Apple Mule was named South Central Region winner. In addition to a $1,000 check, Kristie's prize included a trip for two to Chicago for two days in early December last year.
Fortunately for me, Kristie invited me to be her guest on the trip.
As part of the awards celebration we were able to taste all of the winning mules. Kristie's was by far the best one. It retained all of the integrity of the original mule, enhanced by the Arkansas flavors of the apple and walnut bitters.
(For all the winning recipes, visit moscowmule.shiftgig.com.)
Kristie Jones' Black Apple Mule
Crushed ice
1/2 cup diced black or red apple
1/2 lime
2 dashes black walnut bitters
1 1/2 ounces Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
2 ounces ginger beer (see note)
1 sprig of fresh mint
Apple slice for garnish
Fill a copper mug with as much ice as it will hold.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the diced apple with lime juice and bitters. Dry-shake mixture. Add vodka to shaker and shake again.
Strain mixture into copper mug. Top off with ginger beer and garnish with an apple slice and mint.
Makes 1 cocktail.
Note: Kristie prefers using Gosling's Ginger Beer for its effervescence and light flavor.
Food on 01/21/2015