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A beer cocktail for tonight’s rivalry game: The Governor’s Cup

A take on the traditional Pimm’s Cup.

By One Man To Beat
Josh McCoy-Ole Miss Athletics

It’s time to class up this joint.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State will play each other in the American pastime of baseball tonight at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. It is the minor league home of the Mississippi Braves, and the importance of this game is that it’s called the Governor’s Cup.

I think the winner gets to eat dinner with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and see a collection of stemware at the state mansion or something.

Once you’ve finished your work day in Jackson and made the trek to the park, you deserve some fine refreshment, so the Cup has concocted a beer cocktail for your enjoyment. It’s not a drink you want to throw in celebration of a home run, but rather a new take on an old classic.

A Pimm’s Cup is a British standard for cocktails using Pimm’s No. 1 — a fruity gin liqueur that is only 25 percent alcohol. Typically, you’d see a lemon-lime soda or ginger ale included in the cocktail along with sundry fruit slices.

But we need something to take it up a notch and get you nice and tight for nine innings of baseball with a lot of people who you will definitely see at work and maybe even church later in the week. So we substituted an extra dry India Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada for the lemon lime soda to add some punch to this cocktail.

The Brut IPA from Sierra Nevada is a spring seasonal meaning right now is the perfect time to consume it. It is a 6.2% alcohol by volume brewski with only 25 IBU (international bitterness unit) meaning it is more palatable for those who don’t frequently drink IPA’s. The citrus notes typically associated with IPA’s should provide a lot of similar notes for the cocktail.

If you can’t find the Brut IPA in your local store, look for a blonde ale or a saison to substitute.

A Governor’s Cup Recipe

  • 2 oz Pimm’s Cup
  • 3 oz Sierra Nevada Brut IPA
  • 4 mint leaves
  • 1 strawberry, quartered
  • 1 orange slice
  • 1 lemon slice

Get a mason jar, fill halfway with crushed ice and pour all these items in. Stir to combine and enjoy.

Tonight’s game vs. No. 9 Mississippi State

Game time: 6 p.m.
Where: Trustmark Park, Pearl, Miss.
Audio: TuneIn

So what will you be sipping on tonight for the annual Governor’s Cup? Tweet @redcuprebellion or comment below with your very hot beverage takes.