Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bub’s Berry Smash: mulling over the mule

A really refreshing cocktail for summertime.

Berry Smash Mule
Berry Smash Mule
Ashley Pelletier
  • Ashley Pelletier
  • Bub’s at the Beach
  • 1030 Garnet Avenue
  • Pacific Beach

The cruel summer heat draws me toward Pacific Beach for a cooling drink. Open and airy, Bub’s at the Beach promises a variety of specialty Moscow mules; bartender Ashley Pelletier recommends that I try the Berry Smash. She tells me it’s a popular option that offers a bit of a twist by replacing vodka with gin.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We wanted to bring in a gin mule, just because we do a lot of vodka, a lot of tequila. We do whiskey as well… but I feel like gin is often underplayed, and a lot of people don’t like gin, or think they’re not going to like gin. So we wanted to bring that in and make it more approachable.”

The makeup of the famous copper mug cocktail doesn’t stray too far from the traditional. “You are going to get your classic mule flavors in there: ginger beer, lime juice, bitters. But then we also add a strawberry purée to give a summery, fruity flavor to it.” Plus the other, obvious distinction: Cutwater gin. “It has an herbal type of flavor, which I feel works well with the strawberry.”

“A lot of our other mules fall on the ‘super sweet’ side of the spectrum,” she explains. “So I would recommend this one to someone who doesn’t want something overly sweet, but who is still looking for something fruity.” Pelletier points to the pureé as a source of balance within the cocktail. “It’s actually a mix of strawberries and lime juice, so it cuts that sweetness a little bit. Which is nice, because it comes off as more of a refreshing gin cocktail, instead of an overly sugary cocktail.”

She shares an inside story about Bub’s cocktail recipes. “All of our mules have come about through trial and error. We used to have a mule of the month, so we would all put together different concoctions. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But the really successful ones made it up there on the board,” she says, pointing to a chalkboard list that includes the Berry Smash Mule.

“I’ve seen a lot of variations at different places. Mules using whiskey or tequila,” she says, mulling it over. “But I haven’t really seen anything with gin. And if it’s done correctly, it can make a really refreshing cocktail for summertime.”

Berry Smash Mule

Bub’s at the Beach’s

Berry Smash Mule

  • 1 1/4 oz. Cutwater gin
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • ½ oz. lime juice
  • 1 oz. strawberry pureé
  • Fever Tree Ginger Beer to fill
  • Mix ingredients together with ice and pour into a copper mule mug. Top with ginger beer, lime wedge, and strawberry slice.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Next Article

Taco Taco Poway still has 99-cent fish tacos

Tacotopia prizewinner is well known among Powegians
Berry Smash Mule
Berry Smash Mule
Ashley Pelletier
  • Ashley Pelletier
  • Bub’s at the Beach
  • 1030 Garnet Avenue
  • Pacific Beach

The cruel summer heat draws me toward Pacific Beach for a cooling drink. Open and airy, Bub’s at the Beach promises a variety of specialty Moscow mules; bartender Ashley Pelletier recommends that I try the Berry Smash. She tells me it’s a popular option that offers a bit of a twist by replacing vodka with gin.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We wanted to bring in a gin mule, just because we do a lot of vodka, a lot of tequila. We do whiskey as well… but I feel like gin is often underplayed, and a lot of people don’t like gin, or think they’re not going to like gin. So we wanted to bring that in and make it more approachable.”

The makeup of the famous copper mug cocktail doesn’t stray too far from the traditional. “You are going to get your classic mule flavors in there: ginger beer, lime juice, bitters. But then we also add a strawberry purée to give a summery, fruity flavor to it.” Plus the other, obvious distinction: Cutwater gin. “It has an herbal type of flavor, which I feel works well with the strawberry.”

“A lot of our other mules fall on the ‘super sweet’ side of the spectrum,” she explains. “So I would recommend this one to someone who doesn’t want something overly sweet, but who is still looking for something fruity.” Pelletier points to the pureé as a source of balance within the cocktail. “It’s actually a mix of strawberries and lime juice, so it cuts that sweetness a little bit. Which is nice, because it comes off as more of a refreshing gin cocktail, instead of an overly sugary cocktail.”

She shares an inside story about Bub’s cocktail recipes. “All of our mules have come about through trial and error. We used to have a mule of the month, so we would all put together different concoctions. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But the really successful ones made it up there on the board,” she says, pointing to a chalkboard list that includes the Berry Smash Mule.

“I’ve seen a lot of variations at different places. Mules using whiskey or tequila,” she says, mulling it over. “But I haven’t really seen anything with gin. And if it’s done correctly, it can make a really refreshing cocktail for summertime.”

Berry Smash Mule

Bub’s at the Beach’s

Berry Smash Mule

  • 1 1/4 oz. Cutwater gin
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • ½ oz. lime juice
  • 1 oz. strawberry pureé
  • Fever Tree Ginger Beer to fill
  • Mix ingredients together with ice and pour into a copper mule mug. Top with ginger beer, lime wedge, and strawberry slice.
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
Next Article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.