No one truly knows the entire history of this lovely cocktail. But, storytellers say the history of the Moscow Mule Cocktail dates back to the 1940’s. With the invention of the Polaroid camera, a young executive working with a well known liquor company grabbed one! He started roaming the local bars taking photos of bartenders, holding a bottle of their vodka, along with the classic copper mug.
This executive, named John G. Martin, had purchased the rights to Smirnoff Vodka in the late 1930’s. John, along with the owner of the Los Angeles pub named “Cock ‘n’ Bull”, Jack Morgan, stated that together they created the drink. But this claim has always been widely questioned. Along, with this rumor, their bartender at the time protested that the idea came from him.
What might be closer to the truth is, back then, Americans were not all that familiar with drinking vodka. This coincided with the bar owner ordering way too much ginger beer for the bar. Truth be told, this amazing cocktail’s origin might have come to us as an easy way to clean out the bars overstocked beverages!
Why does a Moscow Mule Cocktail need to be served in a copper mug?
What the folklore tells us is back then Jack Morgan was dating a lady who owned a copper products company. Well, needless to say copper mugs might have been easy for him to stumble over!
Yes, serving this beverage in a copper mug has been a long standing tradition. But, functionally it keeps the cocktail cool. The cold metal acts as an insulation for the ginger beer allowing the cocktail to stay cold and refreshing.
How to make the Moscow Mule Cocktail
Here is the list of needed ingredients:
- 2 ounces of Vodka (use your favorite brand, I advise using a high quality vodka)
- 4 ounces of Ginger Beer
- 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
- Copper mugs or highball glass
- Ice
- Mint sprigs
- Lime slices for garnish
Preparing your Mule:
- Add vodka and ginger beer to mug or glass
- Fill glass with ice and stir
- Add lime juice and stir
- Garnish with lime slices and a sprig of mint
- Serve and enjoy!!!
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Enjoy these unique food pairing ideas with your Mule:
Moscow Mule Cocktail
Equipment
- Copper Mugs
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Vodka
- 4 ounces Ginger Beer
- 1 ounce Lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 slices Lime slice
- 1 sprig Mint
- ice
Instructions
- Add vodka and ginger beer to copper mug or glass
- Fill mug with ice and stir
- Add lime juice to mug and stir to blend
- Garnish with lime slice and a sprig of mint
My favorite cocktail hands down! Loved reading about the history and copper mug!
So refreshing!
Well, you are convincing me to buy these copper mugs 🙂 Love the recipe and cannot wait to give it a try!
So refreshing and delicious! Love the folklore about the copper mugs. 🙂
This is one of my favorite cocktails. I never knew the story about why they serve these in copper mugs. Thank you for sharing.