The Moscow Mule is the cocktail that launched a revolution — vodka, ginger beer, and fresh lime served in an iconic copper mug. Spicy, refreshing, and effortlessly cool, it turned vodka into America's spirit of choice.
Ingredients
Glass
Copper mug
The Story
The Moscow Mule was born in 1941 from a collaboration between John G. Martin, who had purchased the struggling Smirnoff vodka brand, and Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock 'n' Bull restaurant on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, who had an excess of ginger beer. Together with Rudolph Kunett, Smirnoff's distributor, they combined their surplus products and the Moscow Mule was born.
Martin famously traveled across America with a Polaroid camera, photographing bartenders making Moscow Mules to promote the drink. The campaign worked — vodka sales soared, and by the 1950s, the Moscow Mule had helped transform vodka from an obscure Russian spirit into the best-selling liquor category in the United States.
How We Make It
Copper Mug
Chill a copper mug (or highball glass) and fill with ice.
Vodka & Lime
Pour 60ml vodka and 15ml fresh squeezed lime juice.
Ginger Beer
Fill the glass with cold ginger beer.
Stir & Garnish
Stir gently and garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
Variations
Kentucky Mule
Replace the vodka with bourbon. The whiskey's caramel and vanilla notes pair surprisingly well with the ginger beer's spice.
Mexican Mule
Swap vodka for tequila. The agave character and the ginger beer's heat create a bright, lively combination with a south-of-the-border twist.
London Mule
Use gin instead of vodka. The botanicals in the gin add floral and juniper complexity that elevates the simple ginger-lime formula.
Bartender Tips
Ginger Beer, Not Ale
Ginger beer and ginger ale are completely different products. Ginger beer is brewed, spicier, and has real ginger bite. Ginger ale is just sweetened, ginger-flavored soda.
The Copper Mug
The copper mug is not just aesthetics — it conducts cold from the ice to the outside of the mug, keeping the drink colder. If you do not have copper, use a chilled glass.
Fresh Lime Always
Squeeze lime fresh for every drink. The acid in fresh lime juice balances the ginger beer's sweetness — bottled juice will taste dull and flat.