CNY Bartender: The Nugget Mule by Jen Rao of Nugget Cafe

The Beijingers | Jan 31, 2022 11:31 am | Add a comment | 125 reads

Thirsty over the holiday? Grab a cocktail shaker and get to mixing with CNY Bartender, featuring a new drink each day from a Beijing-based mixologist.

The first drink in our intrepid series comes from Jen Rao of Nugget Cafe, and is aptly named the Nugget Mule.

The inspiration for this beverage comes from trips to visit family in Sichuan. In pre-pandemic times, if Jen Rao wasn’t traveling elsewhere then she’d be with her family. When in Chengdu, she’d always make sure to get her fill of hot pot – specifically, chuan chuan hot pot.

Of course, the classic element of chuan chuan hot pot – besides the skewers which prevent diners from losing meat in the broth – is the mala element, which she carries over to this signature nugget cocktail.

This riff on the Moscow Mule utilizes a Sichuan peppercorn-infused vodka that’s quite easy to make at home. Simply combine 50g of peppercorns with 500ml of vodka and let infuse for two or more hours. Jen explains that since these peppercorns are so strong in flavor, the vodka takes on the characteristic numbing mala element within a few hours, so determining when the infusion is ready after this point all depends on taste.

At the bar Jen uses pebble ice, but says you can crush up whatever ice is on hand to use in the drink. A Moscow Mule typically has vodka as its base spirit, but Jen likes to incorporate a bit of Cuban rum to give the cocktail a new dimension.

The Nugget Mule

(Makes one cocktail)

Ingredients

30ml Sichuan peppercorn-infused vodka
30ml Cuban rum
30ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml sugar syrup
3-4 drops of Angostura bitters
Ginger ale or ginger beer
A sprig of mint