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All cocktails Moscow Mule

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Moscow Mule

Barbeque · Classic/vintage · Elevenses/afternoon

4.0 346 ratings

Ingredients

2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Lime juice
1/3 oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2:1)
3 oz Ginger beer

How to make

Serve in a copper mug or collins glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a COPPER MUG OR COLLINS GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lime slice wheel and mint sprigs bouquet.

Method

  1. 3 POUR first 3 ingredients into copper mug/glass and stir.
  2. 4 Two-thirds fill vessel with cubed ice.
  3. 5 TOP with ginger beer and crown with crushed ice.

Garnish

  1. 6 Garnish with lime slice and mint sprigs bouquet.
  2. 7 Serve with a straw.

Flavour profile

10.8% alc./vol. · 1.4 standard drinks · 220 calories

History

The vodka drink with a kick is vodka and ginger beer with a squeeze of lime, served over ice. The ginger beer provides the drink's essential spice, so choose your brand with care.

The Moscow Mule, a member of the Buck family of cocktails, originated between 1941 and 1946, though the precise date and location are subjects of debate. John G. Martin had acquired the rights to Smirnoff vodka in 1939 from Heublein, a small liquor and food distributor based in Connecticut. Around the same time, Jack Morgan, proprietor of the renowned British pub the Cock'n'Bull Saloon on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, was struggling to introduce his own ginger beer brand. According to popular lore, Martin and Morgan met at the Chatham Bar in New York City and conceived the idea of combining Martin's vodka with Morgan's ginger beer, adding a touch of lime, possibly drawing inspiration from the Cuba Libre, to create the Moscow Mule. However, other accounts, notably one by Eric Felton in a 2007 Wall Street Journal article, suggest the drink was first concocted in Hollywood at the Cock 'n' Bull by its head bartender, Wes Price. It is believed that Price invented the cocktail to deplete an excess stock of ginger beer from the pub's cellar. He purportedly served it to actor Broderick Crawford, and it subsequently gained popularity. Wes Price, who is said to have departed the Cock 'n' Bull in 1953, is quoted as stating, "I wasn't truly appreciated. I never got an extra cent for my invention". It is certain that the blend of vodka and ginger beer boosted sales for both Morgan and Martin. Yet, the cocktail's significant success is largely attributed to its presentation in a specially engraved copper mug featuring a kicking mule. This element was introduced by a girlfriend of Morgan's who had recently taken ownership of a copper factory that produced these previously unpopular mugs. The triumph of the Moscow Mule proved highly beneficial for all three associates. By 1947, the same year Edwin H. Land invented the Polaroid Land Camera, the Moscow Mule had already secured a place on the menus of numerous bars. Martin purchased one of these instant cameras and embarked on a marketing campaign, visiting bars and photographing bartenders holding both a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka and a copper mule mug. He presented one photo to the bartender and used a second to entice neighboring establishments, showcasing what they might be missing. The combination of the Moscow Mule and the strategic use of the Polaroid Camera represented a stroke of marketing genius.