The Moscow Mule Cocktail…..kicking!

The Moscow Mule cocktail is a popular mixed drink made from vodka, ginger beer and lime, which is both refreshing and packs a kick, thanks to the ginger. The Moscow Mule cocktail was invented in the 1940`s as a clever way to market vodka (& ginger beer) in the United States, which was nowhere near as popular as spirits such as gin or whiskey. This vodka cocktail went on to become extremely popular in America during the 1950`s when the vodka craze went into top gear. The actual name of the drink appears to be little more than a gimmick, with no doubt some leaning towards the perception of vodka as a strictly Russian export.

Records show that the Moscow Mule cocktail came into existence in the year 1941 and was conjured up by 2 savvy individuals: John G Martin, who worked for an East Coast spirits and food distributor and Jack Morgan who was the President of Cock ”n” Bull products (which was a popular producer of Ginger Beer) and proprietor of the Cock n Bull restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, which was popular with celebrities at the time. The story goes that Martin had a large consignment of vodka that few people wanted and Morgan had the same problem with his brand of Ginger Beer so, in the Cock n Bull restaurant, they had a meeting, during which they combined both products, threw in half a lime, mixed it up in a special copper cup and the Moscow Mule was born. With clever promotion and eventual endorsement from some celebrities, the Moscow Mule was soon leading the charge as the first vodka cocktail to sweep across the country.

One of the main plus points of the Moscow Mule cocktail is that it is extremely easy to make yet tastes quite complex, as if time and effort has been spent preparing it. As with many classic cocktails, the Moscow Mule has spawned several variations, such as the Missouri Mule which use Bourbon whiskey instead of vodka or the Irish Buck which replaces the vodka with Irish whiskey. There is also a delicious non-alcoholic version called the Raspberry Mule which is made with apple juice, lime juice, sugar, ginger beer and raspberries. Another great asset of the Moscow Mule cocktail is that it’s equally at home in the hand of a male or female cocktail drinker.

Cocktail Ingredients

37 1/2 ml Vodka, 25 ml Lime juice, 12 1/2 ml Sugar Syrup, splash Ginger Beer

How to make a Moscow Mule cocktail

Chill highball glass with ice and soda. Add all ingredients apart from ginger beer into mixing tin. Fill tin with ice and shake for about 10 – 15 seconds. Fill glass with fresh ice. Add splash of ginger beer to bottom of glass and strain drink into glass. Add straw and garnish with lime wedge.