Moscow Mule Cocktail

Recipe by Sarah_Jayne

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Moscow Mule Cocktail

SERVES:

Ingredients Nutrition

• 2 ounces vodka
• 3 ounces ginger ale
• 1 ounce lime juice

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients together with ice in a highball glass.

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Nutrition Info

Serving Size: 1 (180 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amt. Per Serving % Daily Value Calories 176.9 Calories from Fat 0 0% Total Fat 0 g 0% Saturated Fat 0 g 0% Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Sodium 7.6 mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 10.4 g 3% Dietary Fiber 0.1 g 0% Sugars 8.4 g 33% Protein 0.1 g 0%

Moscow Mule Recipe: The Great Vodka and Ginger Beer Drink

• 3 mins
• Prep: 3 mins,
• Cook: 0 mins
• Yield: 1 Cocktail

The Moscow Mule is a refreshing and easy vodka highball that uses ginger beer. Along with the likes of the White Russian, it was designed to sell vodka to U.S. drinkers in the 1930's and 1940's. Before this time, vodka was relatively unknown to Americans, though it didn't take long for them to fall in love with the clear spirit.

This is one of the easiest drinks to make and it may quickly become your new favorite vodka highball. It has a snappy spice that is unique, refreshing and invigorating, spectacular in its simplicity.

The Moscow Mule requires just three easy-to-find ingredients, two of which can be played with to customize to your own taste. There is an extensive breakdown of the Moscow Mule below, but first, let's check out just how simple the recipe is.

What You'll Need

• 2 ounces ​vodka
• 1 ounce ​fresh lime juice
• 8 ounces ginger beer (or enough to top off a highball glass)
• Garnish: lime wedge

How to Make It

1. Pour the vodka and lime juice into a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Top off with the ginger beer.
3. Garnish with the lime wedge.

If you would like to go a traditional route, serve your Moscow Mule in a copper mug.

The History of the Moscow Mule

There are a couple of claims to the creation of the Moscow Mule. One dates to 1939 at the Cock N' Bull pub in Hollywood. The story goes that the bar's owner, Jack Morgan, partnered up Smirnoff owner John Martin to promote that vodka along with the bar's house ginger beer.

It was a win-win situation for the team because both brands are alive and well today.

Another story jumps ahead to 1941 at the same bar when the head bartender, Wes Price, needed to unload liquor stock that wasn't selling. This successful promotion was enhanced by a marketing campaign in which a Moscow Mule made with Smirnoff was served in copper mugs. The mugs became a trademark vessel for the drink, the campaign was a success for the Russian vodka and the drink has been popular ever since.

The drink came back into the spotlight in the 21st century and often it seemed to be the talk of every bar in the world. This resurgence introduced an entirely new generation of drinkers to the great taste of the Moscow Mule, but it has also led to a few misconceptions.

The Moscow Mule and Ginger Beer: Getting the Popular Vodka Cocktail Right

The Ginger Beer. The Moscow Mule is simple: vodka, lime, ginger beer. That's right, ginger beer -- not ginger ale or any of the lemon-lime sodas available. This cocktail requires ginger beer.

It is a completely different drink without that single element because all of those other sodas are tame and boring compared to the snap of a great ginger beer. The ginger beer is the real appeal to the Moscow Mule; the vodka and lime are mere complements to the ginger beer and until you have one made properly, you have not experienced it completely.

I have even been in an establishment (or two) that got everything right, including the copper mugs, except that there was not a drop of ginger beer in the house.

I honestly do not mind the ginger ale option. It still makes for a great drink. That drink is not, however, a Moscow Mule. If you are going to a great extent to promote a drink, you should at least have the option available to make it correctly.

There are many great ginger beers to choose from and they vary in the intensity of their ginger spice flavor. Some have a softer spice that is nearly at the level of ginger ale and others are very strong, poignant and unforgettable.

Jamaican ginger beer is known for having the stronger spice and there are many options available. I find the best Jamaican ginger beers at my local international market and recommend exploring those options. The best part is that their stock is constantly changing so it is a different experience with every drink.

Two ginger beers that were developed specifically for cocktails like the Moscow Mule are Q Ginger Beer and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. Both make an excellent Moscow Mule and tend to be a balance between the mild and spicy.

The Vodka. Now that we have that element cleared up, let's talk vodka. If you want to be a traditionalist you should be using Smirnoff because it was their mid-20th-century marketing campaign that brought this drink to the attention of Americans.

However, we are blessed today with a booming vodka market, so there are many other options and frankly, most of them are better. Choose your favorite clear vodka -- it doesn't have to be the best, something mid-range will do just fine. Do keep in mind that this is a simple drink and a bad vodka will only degrade its overall taste.

If you want to shake things up a little bit, there are also some attractive options among the flavored vodkas as well. Passion fruit, citrus, and coconut are a few of the favorites that have been used and you may want to give those a try.

The Drinkware. The other topic of the Moscow Mule is in the drinkware. The copper cups have likely had something to do with the drink's popularity. Everyone wants to know what you're drinking in that shiny metal mug and there is a certain appeal to changing it up from the ordinary glass routine.

The cup is not essential, so you don't have to go out and buy a set unless you really enjoy it.

How Strong Is the Moscow Mule?

The strength of the Moscow Mule is really going to depend on how it is made, and particularly how much ginger beer goes into the drink. The average Moscow Mule is fairly tame and if an 80-proof vodka is used with even as little as a 4-ounce pour of ginger beer, then the drink is a mild 11% ABV (22 proof). It is equal to the average glass of wine.

How to Make a Moscow Mule

And its delicious cousin, the Kentucky Mule.

The Moscow Mule, despite its name and main ingredient, doesn't hail from Russia. It's a red-blooded American cocktail, cooked up in Manhattan in 1941 by three men in the beverage industry: one a distributor, one a maker of ginger beer, and one a maker of vodka. They wondered what it would taste like to add two shots of vodka to ginger beer and a squeeze of lime. It tasted good. Thus the Moscow Mule, named after their location at the Chatham Hotel, the birthplace of "Little Moscow," was born.

Or so the legend goes. The more likely story is that Wes Price, head bartender at the Cock'n Bull restaurant in Los Angeles, invented it while trying to clean out some dead stock from the restaurant's basement. Either way, it's a drink that, with its signature copper mug, has become extremely popular over the years. And luckily, it's one that's extremely easy to make.

1. Squeeze lime juice into a Collins glass (or Moscow Mule mug) and drop in the spent shell.
2. Add 2 or 3 ice cubes, then pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer (not ginger ale, although what the hell).
3. Serve with a stirring rod.

For those who like their cocktails with more of an American Southern vibe, or for those who just don't like vodka, the highly refreshing alternative to the Moscow Mule is the Kentucky Mule. It's made exactly the same as the Moscow version, only instead of 2 oz. of vodka, you use 2 oz. of bourbon. And, in a nod to its Kentucky cousin, you garnish it with a sprig of mint.

Moscow Mule

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Ingredients

1. • 1 half lime
   • 2 ounces vodka
   • 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer, preferably homemade or Cock'n Bull or D&G Old Jamaica brands

Preparation

1. 1. Squeeze lime into Collins glass (or copper mug) and drop in half lime. Add 2 or 3 large ice cubes, then pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer. Serve with a stirring rod.

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Nutritional Info

• Calories 209
• Carbohydrates 23 g(8%)
• Fat 0 g(0%)
• Protein 1 g(1%)
• Saturated Fat 0 g(0%)
• Sodium 12 mg(1%)
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
• Fiber 3 g(11%)
• Monounsaturated Fat 0 g

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• 

Requested at a cocktail party by a guest and it was perfect. After two rounds, I add a dash of celery bitters and used key limes which turned out to be a hit!

Love me some moscow mule. For St. Patty's day, we went all out and got some copper mugs recommended by our bartender friend. Its by Purists Only, just google it.

Love me some Moscow Mule, especially if its on a copper mug. For Saint Patricks day, we went all out and got some mugs that our bartender friend recommended based on his meticulous research. Its by Purists Only, just google it.

My friend and I hosted a cocktail party last weekend featuring moscow mules and came across a ginger beer that is both low cal and delish. My friend ordered it directly from the company at www.RockysGingerBeer.com. She chose this ginger beer based on the low price and free shipping. We were all pleasantly surprised with her decision and will be ordering more for our next cocktail party.

This is a great recipe. With Halloween slowly approaching, I think a Bloody (Moscow) Mule is more appropriate for my palate. I found this recipe on Pinterest http://bit.ly/1OmqoPD

Poorly written, no links to recipe for ginger beer. Moscow Mule is not served in a Collins glass. The copper that the mug is made of enhances the subtle flavors of each of the individual ingredients but you don't bother to point this out.

i love these. these are incredibly well-known, if not necessarily very popular nowadays, in Japan of all places. thats where i first had them anyway. very tasty and very. invigorating. the snap of the ginger along with the carbonation really lifts you up and MAKES YOU THINK that youre not too drunk. lovely drink. http://thepaleodietfoodlist.blogspot.com/

This is a great Moscow Mule. In search of a very good ginger beer, Jamican ginger beer compared to Cock and Bull is better in my opinion. Cock and Bull has an artificial taste.

I realize that's an old comment, but I slways make them with hard ginger beer, and in fact didn't know they were traditionally made with non-alcoholic ginger beer until looking it up. The recipe I use is Sprecher's ginger beer, with a shot of vodka and half a shot of lime grenadine, with a slice or two of lime. They'll definitely get you drunk, but they're nice and refreshing and downright delicious.

I have a question. I have never seen any recipe that uses alcoholic ginger beer. has anyone ever tried it this way?

Squeeze the lime into the mug or glass before throwing it in to get the most refreshing taste possible.

Here's a quick and easy recipe for ginger beer that elevates the cocktail to a much higher level. It can be done in 24 hours or 48 hrs if you want it bubbly. http://www.thepauperedchef.com/article/homemade-ginger-beer-and-dark-n-stormy

fabulous! very refreshing. I just added freshly grated ginger.

Easy and delicious!

This is great with Stewart's Ginger Beer, which is sweet enough that the drink is all about the kick. But since there wasn't any plain ginger beer today I tried it with Reeds Raspberry Ginger Beer, and added an oz of simple syrup per glass. A nice, fruitier variant.

I made homemade ginger beer, and WOW what a kicker. I understand why other reviewers added sugar. however, we didn't and the drink provides a welcome fresh dry taste with a ginger kick that really cools a body down. Will continue with this cocktail throughout the hot humid summer of Japan! (oh, and I only added 4 ounces of ginger beer)

There is a BIG difference in ginger beer. Only found Reed's brand - not sweet enough. So, I used the Reed's anyway, and added a teaspoon of sugar. That did the trick! Perfect.

I prefer this with store-bought ginger beer because of the additional sweetness. Homemade ginger beer is still good, providing more peppery-ginger flavor. I strongly recommend this drink -- very clean tasting and I just love it.

a wonderful refresher, especially if you serve it in a copper cup or mug. YUM!

One of my all-time favorite drinks, although a very tasty variation on this is a golden mule: give it a half ounce of Goldshlager. The cinnamon goes very nicely with the ginger and lime flavours.

As I like anything with vodka, this is terrific. Of course you can't have too many of them.

Cool, light and refreshing. Definitely a summer-evening-on-the-patio type drink.

Definitely a brisk summer drink with a kick -- although I do prefer it in the copper cup (which is how they serve it in Michigan' UP)

This has been my favorite summer time drink for years. It's so refreshing. I wish more bars stocked ginger beer so I could order this while I'm out. I always have to make it at home when the urge occurs.

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Moscow Mule Cocktail

Giada's Moscow Mule Cocktail (02:51)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Mint-Flavored Vodka, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups Ginger Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2 cups sparkling water
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs, lemon slices, lime slices

Mint-Flavored Vodka:

• 2 large bunches fresh mint
• One 750-milliliter bottle vodka

Ginger Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• One 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Directions

For each cocktail, fill a cocktail shaker with 1/4 cup of ice. Add 1/4 cup Mint-Flavored Vodka, 1/4 cup Ginger Syrup and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Shake and pour into a tall glass or flute. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs, lemon slices and lime slices just before serving.

Mint-Flavored Vodka:

Place the mint in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the mint and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 3 days at room temperature.

Ginger Simple Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1 cup water and the ginger over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.

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Moscow Mule

Moscow Mules (01:28)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• Two 6-inch pieces fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 4 cups vodka
• 12 cups ice cubes
• 16 ounces tonic water
• 10 sprigs fresh mint, for garnish
• 10 lime wedges, for garnish

Directions

Combine the sugar, ginger and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool a bit, strain out the ginger, and then let cool completely.

In a large pitcher, stir together the ginger syrup and vodka. Fill 10 glasses with ice and pour the cocktail over. Top off with a splash of tonic water and garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wedge.

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Moscow Mule (And Where to Get the Original Copper Mugs)

The first thing I ever ordered at a real cocktail bar was a Moscow Mule. It was pretty early on in the still-vibrant cocktail revival and the bartender recommended the mule as a good entry-level drink: The flavors—ginger and lime—were familiar to me, the spirit was certainly not overwhelming for a novice and also it came in an awesome copper cup.

Whatever cup I drank it out of was probably inauthentic though. The very first Moscow Mules were served in a limited edition run of copper mugs brought over from Russia. And the family that made those original mugs has decided to get back into the mule mug business after 74 years. Avid mule drinkers can get their hands on another limited edition run of the cups made to the same specifications as the ones brought over from the Soviet Union in 1941. And this time they don’t need to steal them from the bars.

The rebirth of the original vessel seems like a good time to unearth the history of the drink itself. Here are five things you might not know about how the Moscow Mule came to be:

1. The Moscow Mule combined two ingredients no one wanted at the time.

In 1941 at the Cock ‘N’ Bull in Hollywood, the bar owner found himself unable to sell either the cases of Smirnoff Vodka he had purchased or the bottles of house made ginger beer. Wes Price, the bartender at the time, said he was just trying to clear out the basement.

2. Those famous mugs were a stroke of serendipity.

An immigrant named Sophie Berezinski came to California with 2,000 copper mugs she had designed in her father’s copper shop in Russia. She carted them around L.A., trying to sell them “lest her husband toss them in a trash heap.” She found willing buyers at the Cock ‘N’ Bull who wanted something to make their drink stand out.

3. It put Smirnoff Vodka on the map.

Before the Moscow Mule, Smirnoff was a tiny company owned by an almost penniless Russian ex-pat. But two years after John Martin bought the company in 1939 he got it over to the Cock-N-Bull where it would become the vodka of choice for a properly made mule for decades.

4. The Moscow Mule was almost a casualty of the cold war.

As the U.S./U.S.S.R. stalemate hit its peak intensity with McCarthyism, HUAC and blacklisting in Hollywood, the mule’s birthplace, a rumor begin circulating that Smirnoff was Russian vodka. As a result New York bartenders organized a boycott of the cocktail. Smirnoff, by the way, was never Russian. It originated in Bethel, Connecticut.

5. It had a terrible dance and jingle.

We don’t know who the ad wizards were that came up with this one, but in 1965 the drink was rebranded as the Smirnoff Mule and got its own dance created by Killer Joe Piro and its own song sung by Carmen McRae. We don’t know how many surviving copies of the record are left, but the words were, “Stand stubborn/Stop sudden/Look cool. Turn it on/Take it off/The Smirnoff Mule."

If you want to drink your mules out of the real thing, the new editions of the old mugs are available from Moscow Copper here.

Moscow Mule

The cool-kid cocktail of 1940s Hollywood.

• Share story:

Born from a long lineage of ginger beer-based buck cocktails, this mixed drink featuring vodka, ginger beer and lime juice was created in the early 1940s. There is some dispute about the exact origins of the recipe, but most accounts credit an alcohol-fueled meeting between John G. Martin, an executive at the company that bottled the then-unknown Smirnoff, and Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock ‘n’ Bull bar in Hollywood and ginger beer producer. Together, the pair dreamed up an easy-to-make drink using their underperforming products and gave it a funny name (“Moscow” is a nod to vodka’s Russian roots) for catchy marketing. After a lull during World War II, growing popularity in Hollywood and ads for “Mule Parties” featuring celebrities such as Woody Allen helped raise the profile of this drink in the United States—as well as that of vodka, which would go on to supplant gin and whiskey as the country’s most popular spirit. Tradition dictates this drink should be served in a copper mug (some origin myths account for a third friend who needed to offload said mugs) though highballs or Collins glasses are suitable replacements.

Moscow Mule

from Punch (http://punchdrink.com)

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 4 ounces ginger beer (preferably Fever Tree of Fentimans)

Garnish: lime wheel

Directions

1. Add vodka and lime juice to a Collins, highball or copper mule mug (if you're fancy enough to own one).
2. Top with crushed or cracked ice.
3. Top with ginger beer and swizzle gently to mix.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

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Moscow mule cocktail

1900- 1920’s

Sophie Berezinski begins spending more time at the factory with her father. They begin to manufacture copper mugs at the Moscow Copper Co. based on Sophie's design and dimensions.

Sophie makes her way out to Hollywood, CA to try something new and to ultimately find a buyer for her beautiful copper mugs.

Sophie, along with two male friends, John and Jack create the very first Moscow Mule in her Original Mug at the famous Cock n' Bull Pub on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA.

A bartender from the Cock n’ Bull decides to go out and share the Moscow Mule with bartenders around the country. Using a polaroid camera, he would walk into a bar, pour a Moscow Mule, take two pictures of the newly crafted Moscow Mule and leave one behind with the bartender. He would then go to the next bar and show them what their competitors were doing thus spreading the Moscow Mule across the nation. We like to think of it as Social Media in the 1940's.

The Moscow Mule becomes the cocktail of choice among the Hollywood "it" crowd/"A" listers.

The Cold War begins to hit the nation hard and with it the Moscow Mule loses popularity due to political reasons. Pretty ironic considering the cocktail was created right in the center of Hollywood, CA. The next 30-40 years were some of the darkest days America has seen with no Moscow Mules to be found.

2014- Present

The Moscow Mule is thriving in bars across the globe. In fact, it recently passed the Margarita as the most popular cocktail in America and quite possibly the world. Sophie Berezinskis’ legacy lives on through her descendants at the Moscow Copper Co., ensuring everyone has access to the original copper mug that makes the Moscow Mule, a truly authentic Moscow Mule.

Moscow Mule Recipe

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