051 – Moscow Mule

A Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the refreshing ‘Moscow Mule’ cocktail.

Lock-down has inspired me to explore this famous cocktail, a very simple ‘make-at-home’ cocktail perfect for the warmer weather.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ #Locktail ‘Moscow Mule’.

METHOD – Build in a mule (copper) tankard or mug, or alternatively, add 60ml vodka and 30ml fresh lime juice into a shaker. Shake with ice and strain into the mule vessel over ice. Add additional ice cubes or pieces to fill the vessel and then pour ginger beer to fill the vessel, usually more than 100ml. Garnish with a slice or slices of lime.

HISTORICAL NOTES – Probably created in 1941, the origins are clouded and disputed. One origin story is that John Martin who had acquired Smirnoff Vodka rights in 1939 and Jack Morgan, owner of Hollywood’s Cock’n’Bull Saloon and his own brand of ginger beer, created the ‘Moscow Mule’ to move (sell) their respective products.

Whether they came up with the drink is in doubt, but it certainly helped with their sales, so they were no doubt supportive promoters if not necessarily the drink’s creators. Another story is that it was Jack Morgan’s Head Bartender at the Cock’n’Bull, Wes Price. There is also a story that a Russian Woman, Sophie Berezinski contributed the Copper Mugs.

Whatever the origin, the Moscow Mule’s popularity grew, becoming the most popular version of a ‘Mule’ (ginger beer and citrus-based cocktail) and no doubt helping the popularity and growth of vodka and vodka-based in the USA and elsewhere in the world.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Moscow Mule’ appears on the International Bartender Association’s (IBA) ‘Contemporary Classics’ official drinks lists. The recipe calls for 45ml Smirnoff Vodka, 10ml fresh lime juice, and 120ml of ginger beer. Combine in a mule cup or rocks glass and stir gently, garnish with a slice of lime.

TASTING NOTES – The ‘Moscow Mule’ is a very refreshing and cold drink. It tastes mainly of ginger beer and lime, so the choice of ginger beer (spiciness, sweetness, and tang) should suit your preference. The vodka provides the alcohol but little in the way of flavour, which to be honest is the main reason people choose the ‘Moscow Mule’, over other ‘Mule’ and ‘Buck’ variants, or cocktails like the ‘Safe Harbour’.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – My only adjustments to the IBA official recipe is to increase the vodka from 45ml to 60ml and the lime juice from 10ml to 30ml, mainly due to the size of the cocktail and to make it more than just a ‘cold ginger beer’. For most Mule Mug’s, even with that 90ml of lime and vodka, you will still need more than 120ml of Ginger Beer and maybe a lot more depending on your ice density.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is first cocktail from the 1941-1950 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.