Moscow Mule -

by Emily

ES-Approved Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers

Still looking for that perfect gift for the epicurean in your life? Try one of our suggestions! Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of cookbooks and kitchen goods out there, but we’ve cut through the boring stuff and picked out a handful of ideas that are sure to please. Stick one of these under your tree and treat yourself to a drink – holiday shopping is hard work!

From Scratch: Inside the Food Network
We love some Food Network as much as the rest of the country, but we’re also suckers for a good celeb chef snark sesh, and this new book from Allen Salkin looks like it will provide plenty of ammo.

HomeMade Gin Kit Holiday Blend Christmas Refill
I reviewed the HomeMade Gin Kit last holiday season (and gave it two thumbs up, I think it’s a super fun project and makes a great gift for any cocktail lover). Now they’ve released a special holiday edition. According to Gin Kit co-founder Joe Maiellano, “We’ve toned down the citrus and summery flavors in the original gin infusion blend and laced the new one with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and rosemary. We came up with a cocktail recipe for the new gin using cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and a rosemary sprig that testers say looks and tastes like Christmas in a glass!” The refill is only $10, so it makes a nice stocking stuffer for anyone you got the original kit for last year.

Magical Unicorn Salt
Truth time: part of the reason we picked this one is because of its majestic name. Besides that, though, this stuff sounds great: a mix of pure ocean salt, smoked paprika, garlic, rosemary, and celery seed. The seasoning possibilities are endless! The manufacturer, Beautiful Briny Sea, doesn’t have a full online store, but you can check out their current offerings and contact info on their Facebook page, and right now, just in time for gift-giving, Magical Unicorn Salt is selling on Fab.

Summer Cocktail Season: The New Moscow Mule

A couple of weeks ago I received a text from a friend who was having dinner at DC’s newest taqueria, El Centro, D.F. He asked me if I had ever tried a Moscow Mule. I immediately had a flashback to New Years Eve 1995. I was 15 and my older sister had taken me under her wing to a nightclub in my hometown in England. If you’re familiar with the UK bar scene you’ll know that they’re not too strict on ID and age restriction — I used a fake birth certificate to get in the door — and well, I don’t remember much other than drinking the night away on one too many pre-bottled Smirnoff Mules, to the point of not ever drinking them again.

I had a perverted hope that El Centro, D.F. would be serving these pre-mixed bottles, but my hopes were dashed. Instead I found a seductively crafted cocktail from El Centro’s beverage director, Brennan Adams. I’m not sure what has happened to the Moscow Mule I first encountered and quite frankly, I don’t care. Adams’ version, with its summer fresh tones, splash of beer, and peppery aftertaste, is a whole new kind a mule. I spoke with Adams about his drink, explaining it was too good not to share, and he was kind enough to give me the recipe.