This particular video is for the “Strawberry Blonde Brewjito” — a beer-inspired twist on the classic mojito.

“Made with fresh strawberries, American blonde ale and agave nectar…this mojito is anything but ordinary. It’s fresh, bright and bound to be a classic. But why blonde ale? As Ashley mentions in the video below, you can pretty much use beer in any cocktail recipe which calls for club soda. And a blonde ale is just bright enough to pair with a mojito and not over power it.” — Jerry James Stone

For the full recipe and bartending instructions, check out the video below and visit BeerMixology.com.

About the Beer Mixology Team

Jerry James Stone

Jerry is a writer for Discovery Channel, and the producer and main recipe developer for TreeHugger’s Green Wine Guide, which features sustainable wineries and vegetarian wine pairings. He’s currently creating the official Philz Coffee cookbook for the Bay Area establishment which will feature recipes about cooking with coffee.

He has been a food judge alongside Michael Pollan and Alice Waters for the Good Food Awards and wrote the nightlife section for Fodor’s 2013 San Francisco guide book. His writings can be found in MAKE magazine, The Atlantic and Digg.com.

Follow Jerry on Twitter @JerryJamesStone

Ashley V Routson

Known to most as The Beer Wench, Ashley is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist & social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. She is currently the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA  — where her responsibilities include everything from marketing, sales, PR, social media & events.

Ashley is also a freelance consultant and professional speaker on the subjects of social media, beer mixology, food & beverage pairings. She is the founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com & BeerMixology.com as well as a regular contributor to CraftBeer.com.

Follow Ashley on Twitter @TheBeerWench & @BeerMixology

Chris Eldridge

Chris an Independent Video Producer, Editor, and Cinematographer for corporate, television, and marketing-oriented clients, with a persistent, detail-oriented work ethic. He studied Cinematography at San Francisco State University, working as a projectionist at movie theaters in San Jose & San Francisco. Out of school, Chris began working in Television and shooting feature films with friends, one of which saw theatrical distribution in the US & India.

Chris currently produces content for the EMS industry, as well as several wine, beer, arts, and entertainment pieces for his personal project, CineVine.com.

Follow Chris on Twitter @thedridge & @CineVine

I’m excited and honored to share with you a recipe designed for DRAFT Magazine, who published the recipe in the May issue of the magazine and is currently featuring it in the recipe section of their website.

Before revealing the recipe, I’m going to include a brief intro to the cocktail, which was not actually published in the magazine. Cheers!

Move over April showers, spring is in full bloom and the Saison season is upon us! Saisons were traditionally made as a safe, low alcohol, source of hydration for farm workers during the hot harvest months in a time when water dangerous because it was riddled with bacteria. Characterized mostly by the farmhouse strains of yeast used in fermentation, Saisons are typically pale in color, very well carbonated, and boast fruity and spicy aromas and flavors, with little to no hop presence, expect in some American versions.

Sometimes slightly tart, characteristically dry and refreshing, Saisons are perfect for the hot Spring and Summer months. This style of beer also works well in a variety of beer cocktails. The following garden-inspired beer cocktail recipe features the Saison, fresh strawberries, mint, and a hibiscus- infused vodka. The cocktails is pleasantly floral, fruity and refreshing, making it perfect for the Spring and Summer months.

Strawberry Fields

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh strawberry, quartered
• 5 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce agave nectar
• 11/2 ounces hibiscus vodka (see below)
• 4 ounces saison

Photo: Kevin Robie

Instructions: Muddle the strawberry and mint with the lemon juice and agave nectar until strawberry is completely macerated. Add vodka and ice, shake 5 times (not enough to crush the ice). Add beer and shake 5 times. Pour, with the ice, into a tulip glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.

DIY Hibiscus-infused vodka: Pour 2 cups vodka over 1 ounce dried hibiscus flowers in an airtight jar; seal tightly and store in a cool place for 24 hours. Pour through a fine strainer into a sterilized bottle or jar.

Although still extremely niche and relatively new, the “beer cocktail” is a developing trend in both mixology and craft beer. Essentially, a beer cocktail is exactly what it sounds like: a cocktail that uses beer as an ingredient.

Many craft breweries are also dabbling in spirits production. Dogfish Head, Rogue, New Holland, Ballast Point and Anchor Steam all have micro-distilleries within the brewery walls. In my opinion, Sebbie Buhler from Rogue has emerged as the leader of the “beer cocktail” movement in the craft beer industry, introducing the concept of adding craft spirits to craft beers, creating new flavors combinations by mixing Rogue spirits with various craft beers.

As an amateur mixologist and a craft beer connoisseur, the “beer cocktail” trend really excites me. This weekend, the creativity bug bit me and decided to start mixing my own concoctions. And I’m not going to lie, this beverage was good. I mean REAL good.

I love tequila, especially wood-aged tequila (reposado & anejo). When mixing, I almost always choose reposado. It has more depth in flavor than the blanco, but it isn’t as intense as anejo, which is typically sipped on its own, not mixed (unless of course, you are a baller).

My perfect margarita is simple: tequila + fresh or pure lime + agave nectar. Sometimes, I might add orange liquor or fruit for added sweetness, but the basics always stay the same.

My cocktail was inspired by the “Hoparita” invented by New Holland Brewing Company. They have a spirit called Hopquila, which is essentially a white whiskey that gets steeped with Centennial hops. The hops give the spirit a uniquely bitter and resin like quality, which mimics similar flavors found in tequila. After tasting that cocktail, I knew that hops and tequila made a perfect match. And since I can’t get Hopquila in my market, I set on a mission to recreate the flavor profile of the Hoparita.

The result was ab.so.fucking.lute.ly. amazing. I used 21st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA this time around, and I found that the extra citrus-like resiny hop quality of a West Coast IPA was really ideal for the recipe. So, without further ado, here is my recipe:

The IPA-a-rita

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Reposado Tequila
• 1 ounce Pure Lime Juice
• 1 TBSP Raw Agave Nector
• 6 ounces IPA

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, shake ice, tequila, lime juice and agave syrup until the ice is broken up and all the ingredients are well mixed.

2. Pour shaker contents into a glass. Top with 6 ounces of IPA. Give it a quick stir. And enjoy.

CHEERS!

(Note: This would be a PERFECT cocktail to drink on International #IPADay!)