Mezcal Mule
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 15.7% ABV ∙
The Mezcal Mule is a highball of mezcal with muddled cucumber, ginger liqueur, lime, passion fruit purée, and agave syrup — a smoky twist on the Moscow Mule. Smoky and cool on the first sip, with a silky fruit weight that fades into a bright, tangy finish and a warm chili prickle at the end.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Cucumber 4 slices
- Add the remaining ingredients: Mezcal 45 mlGinger liqueur 20 mlLime juice 20 mlPassion fruit purée 20 mlAgave syrup 15 ml
- Shake with ice and fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with candied ginger and dust with a chili flake
Tips
- Use a joven or unaged mezcal to keep the smoke balanced against the passion fruit rather than overpowering it.
- Muddle the cucumber gently in the shaker base first, just enough to release juice without pulverizing the skin.
- Fine-strain into the ice-filled glass so no cucumber pulp or seeds cloud the finished drink.
History
The Mezcal Mule in this build traces to Jim Meehan, who created it in 2008 at PDT (Please Don't Tell) in New York City. Meehan's version reworked the mule template around mezcal's smokiness, pairing it with a housemade ginger wort instead of bottled ginger beer and adding passion fruit, cucumber, and lime to complement the spirit's vegetal, fermented character. The recipe was later published in Robert Simonson's book Mezcal + Tequila Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for the Golden Age of Agave.
This drink is one of many riffs on the Mule, the mid-20th-century highball format of a base spirit with ginger beer and lime, popularized in the United States in the 1940s. The Mezcal Mule keeps that citrus-and-ginger backbone but swaps in mezcal for the base spirit, giving the drink a smoky depth in place of the original's cleaner, more neutral profile.
FAQ
What is in a Mezcal Mule?
A Mezcal Mule is made with mezcal, muddled fresh cucumber, ginger liqueur, lime juice, passion fruit purée, and agave syrup, shaken and served over ice in a highball glass. It is finished with a candied ginger garnish and a dusting of chili flakes.
What is the difference between a Mezcal Mule and a Moscow Mule?
A Moscow Mule is vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer built in a copper mug, while a Mezcal Mule swaps the vodka for smoky mezcal and replaces the ginger beer with ginger liqueur, adding muddled cucumber and passion fruit purée. The result is a fruitier, smokier drink than the crisp, spicy original.
What is a Mexican Mule?
A Mexican Mule is generally a Moscow Mule made with tequila or mezcal instead of vodka, keeping the lime juice and ginger beer. The Mezcal Mule follows that same idea but builds on it further, using ginger liqueur, muddled cucumber, passion fruit purée, and agave syrup rather than a simple ginger beer top.
How do you make a Mexican mule?
A Mexican mule is typically built by combining tequila or mezcal with lime juice and topping with ginger beer over ice. This Mezcal Mule takes a more built-out approach: cucumber is muddled first, then mezcal, ginger liqueur, lime juice, passion fruit purée, and agave syrup are shaken together and strained over fresh ice.
What are the three ingredients in a mezcal cocktail?
Many simple mezcal cocktails stick to three components, often mezcal, lime, and a sweetener or mixer. This Mezcal Mule uses six: mezcal, muddled cucumber, ginger liqueur, lime juice, passion fruit purée, and agave syrup, for a more layered drink than the minimal template.
