GUD BLOG: SINGLE POST
Summer Hopquila Recipe: Lemon Rabbit Cocktail
New Holland Brewing’s Hatter Royale Hopquila isn’t what you’d expect. Hopquila is a close relative of tequila, but with a hint of hops that smooths the spirit. Don’t bother with limes or triple sec, and don’t mess around with blenders—Hatter Royale Hopquila is unique, beautiful in its simplicity, and surprisingly drinkable.
The hops, oddly, adds not so much a floral IPA quality to the Hopquila, but a saltiness that creates a tempered tequila flavor, and makes it perfect for mixing with citrus. Hopquila is for sipping—starts sweet, goes down smooth, and finishes with a hint of hops. A grain-neutral spirit, made from 100% barley, distilled twice, then steeped in Centennial hops, Hopquila is “vivacious,” as New Holland describes it, with a “grain-centric body framed by citrus-laden hop character in the nose and finish.”
Metro Detroit mixologist, Brian Doughty, developed a simple recipe that takes note of the one-of-a-kind hops flavor. He rolled out the cocktail at the June 11 Gourmet Underground picnic on Belle Isle in Detroit, which is where the drink earned the name, “Lemon Rabbit.” Open a bottle and hop down the Hopquila hole:
Lemon Rabbit Recipe
Over ice:
2 oz. Hopquila
1 oz. Fresh-squeezed lemon
1 oz. Tonic water
The aforementioned saltiness of the Hopquila cuts the lemon, and vice versa, and the tonic makes the drink lighter and more refreshing than a margarita. In fact, it’s not entirely accurate to compare the Lemon Rabbit to a margarita, but that’s probably as close an analogue as is available—a lemony margarita with fizz, or a hybrid between a margarita and lemonade.
Enjoy in the sun, and be careful.
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Tim Chilcote, writer and Great Lakes enthusiast, blogs at www.greatlakesguru.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimChilcote.
2011.06.20 Todd Abrams at 1:03 pm
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3 Responses to Summer Hopquila Recipe: Lemon Rabbit Cocktail
I dig that the name stuck! Great drink, especially paired with bacon jam on everything.
Really? I’ve been trying to make a drink with hopquila for ages I think it has so much potential. But this one isn’t any better the bitter clashes with the other flavors and it’s borderline undrinkable.
There were multiple reasons that people liked this drink when it was served at the picnic but I can also see how it might be too dry for many. Personally, with that much lemon juice I would have added some simple syrup for balance. It’s cool that you tried it though. Let us know if you come up with a good Hopquila-based cocktail.