Moscow Mule
A spicy, refreshing and bubbly cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 11.4% ABV ∙
The Moscow Mule is a vodka highball with lime juice and ginger beer, traditionally served in a copper mug.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the first 3 ingredients into a copper mug or glass: Vodka 60 mlLime juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 ml
- Stir
- Fill the vessel 2/3 full with cubed ice
- Top with Ginger beer and crown with crushed ice
- Garnish with a lime wheel and a mint sprig
Tips
- Stir the vodka, lime, and syrup before adding ice, then top with ginger beer last so it keeps its fizz.
History
The Moscow Mule is credited to a 1941 meeting in Los Angeles between John G. Martin and Jack Morgan. Martin, a Heublein executive, had bought the struggling American rights to Smirnoff vodka; Morgan, owner of the Cock 'n' Bull pub on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, was sitting on unsold stock of his own ginger beer. Looking to move both products, the two are said to have combined vodka, ginger beer, and lime. A woman at the table, sometimes named as Sophie Berezinski (daughter of a Russian copper factory owner) or as Ozeline Schmidt (whose family owned a copper mine), is credited with supplying the copper mugs the drink became known for.
Some accounts instead place the invention at New York's Chatham Hotel in 1941. In 2007 the Cock 'n' Bull's head bartender, Wes Price, told the Wall Street Journal that he alone devised the drink to clear out unsold ginger beer, serving the first one to actor Broderick Crawford.
However the drink began, its fame is widely credited to marketing. Martin toured American bars taking Polaroid photos of bartenders holding the copper mug and a bottle of Smirnoff, and that campaign popularized both the drink and vodka itself in the United States through the 1950s.
The International Bartenders Association lists the drink among its Contemporary Classics as vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice: the Moscow Mule – IBA. The Moscow Mule belongs to the "Mule" family (also called bucks), drinks combining a base spirit with ginger beer or ginger ale and citrus.
FAQ
What are the ingredients in a Moscow Mule?
Vodka (60 ml), fresh lime juice (15 ml), sugar syrup (10 ml), and ginger beer (90 ml). The first three are stirred in the mug before the ice goes in, and the ginger beer goes in last.
Is a Moscow Mule a strong drink?
It is moderate at about 11.4% ABV, since the ginger beer and ice make up most of the volume.
Why do people use copper mugs for Moscow Mules?
Copper conducts cold well, so the mug chills fast and stays cold longer than glass, which helps keep the ginger beer fizzy. It is also part of the drink's original presentation, though a chilled Collins glass works just as well.
What are some common mistakes when making Moscow Mules?
Using ginger ale instead of ginger beer, which gives a weak, overly sweet drink instead of a spicy one, and adding the ginger beer too early, which flattens its carbonation.
What's the difference between a Moscow Mule and a London Mule?
A London Mule uses gin instead of vodka, so juniper and botanicals come through. A Moscow Mule keeps the neutral vodka, so the lime and ginger lead.
