By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio is known nationwide for Julio’s Chips, the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding and the bass factory that is Lake Amistad.
Now, the Queen City of the Rio Grande is home to the best Riochelada in the state of Texas, and it’s all thanks to the mad scientist of mixology, Pepper Bernal.
The Lone Star Brewing Company was looking for a way to celebrate its Rio Jade brand, a Mexican-inspired lager, and the powers that be decided that the best way was to hold a contest to determine who could create the best michelada using Rio Jade, or a Riochelada.
The michelada has been a favorite of many beer drinkers since about the 1960’s. Though it comes in various forms, the basic ingredients in a michelada include lime juice, various sauces, spices, tomato juice and, of course, beer. After that, the sky’s the limit for popular beverage. It has become a staple for many out for a brunch outing or just looking for something a little spicy and a whole lot refreshing.
Bernal is no stranger to whipping up some entertaining concoctions, and the Riochelada contest was right up her alley. She saw the contest on Instagram and decided to try her hand at creating something unique but a treat for the eyes and the taste buds.
Born in Del Rio, Bernal has been a part of the restaurant and bar industry for 15 years. Her prowess with alcohol began with the popular restaurant Johnny Carino’s where she started as a busser before moving to the kitchen and eventually to the front of the house where she said she really flourished.
“I wound up as the training coordinator for all the servers. To me, I’m a huge believer in the art of presentation. That goes hand in hand with the quality of the beverage, its appearance, its temperature … all of that is important, but it’s the presentation of the cocktail or whatever I’m serving that keeps them coming back. Really, it’s become all about the experience. Nowadays, everybody wants to post what they eat and drink to social media. Before they even take a bite or a sip, they take a picture of it. I’m trying to give something to people they can enjoy and share that experience with others,” Bernal said.
After a 12-year absence from her hometown, Bernal returned to Del Rio and joined the team at Cripple Creek Steakhouse. It was there that she began experimenting with not just drinks, but how to present them in a way that would get folks talking.
“The first thing I came up with was a spicy jalepeño mojito. I really just played with it until I got it right!” Bernal said.
After that came cucumber shots which were served in a hollowed out cucumber. More drinks followed and soon Bernal was even extending her test kitchen to her actual kitchen.
“I’m always coming up with ideas. I think about combining flavors all the time. There have been some successes and lots of fails. I’ve butchered a lot of cocktails. When I was home, I’d invite friends over and test out things on them,” Bernal said.
Bernal eventually moved to Mesquite Creek Outfitters and continued coming up with new additions to their ever-changing menu. Some worked, some fizzled, but she was always ready to try something new.
Then came the post on Instagram. Bernal said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to enter the contest, but with a little encouragement from her friend Kayla Nettleton, who said Bernal had to get involved, the mad scientist got to work.
“I made the drink, took some photos and had to submit the entire recipe,” Bernal said. “I also needed to come up with a name. I decided to call it ‘Pepper’s Michelada.’ Looking back, I probably could have come up with a better name.”
According to the contest’s rules, all entries would receive points based on four different criteria including presentation, creativity and x-factor, originality and appeal of recipe name.
Bernal said she took inspiration from another restaurant’s michelada recipe, but she added some things and took others out. Aside from the regular ingredients, she added a pickle, pickled okra, olives and two strips of bacon.
“People love bacon,” she said.
She submitted everything and waited. When Lone Star started posting entries, Bernal said she got upset that hers wasn’t one of the ones featured. She joked she was about to fire off a complaint when she was notified her recipe made it to the final three.
About a week and a half later, she was fishing with family when she received a notification on her phone from Lone Star. She had won.
“We were all excited! Even my grandma, who doesn’t even have social media, was excited,” Bernal said.
“Pepper has been an instrumental part of our team, and the building of Mesquite Creek Outfitters. We are thrilled for her winning this award! It is well deserved,” Sarah West Sigmon, owner of Mesquite Creek Outfitters, said.
For winning, Bernal earned $5,000 and bragging rights for creating the best Riochelada in Texas.
“I’m excited because it came from Del Rio. It’s exciting for us as a community. It’s definitely been embraced by people from around town and we’ve definitely seen an increase in sales here. We have to buy more pitchers to make bigger batches because it’s been in demand,” Bernal said.
“The michelada has always been one of my favorite drinks. When I had Pepper’s version, I was blown away. It is truly the best one I’ve tried. Pepper’s Michelada has impressed every customer that has ordered it, and I can’t believe we get to say we sell the best one in Texas!” Sigmon said.
Fans of the drink, or folks wanting to try Pepper’s Michelada, will have to wait until Saturday to do so, though. Bernal said it would not be served during Friday’s Independence Day Rodeo Kickoff Block Party due to the time it takes to prepare.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
