Here’s Everything You Should Know About The Perfect Moscow Mule
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Moscow Mules are one of the most frequently ordered cocktails at the bar. It’s hard not to be intrigued by the shiny copper mug. The thirst-quenching concoction is traditionally made with vodka, spicy ginger beer and lime juice. Any spirit mixed with ginger beer is typically known as a buck, so a Moscow Mule moonlights as a “vodka buck.”
The beloved cocktail got its start in 1941 when John Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers, Inc. (a food and spirits company that had the rights to the Smirnoff brand), met with Jack Morgan, the president of a ginger beer company called Cock ‘n’ Bull Products. It’s been said that Martin was having a tough time selling vodka and Morgan was struggling to sell ginger beer in a ginger ale-saturated market. The two men joined forces to create the Moscow Mule and put the cocktail in a copper mug, because at the time, Jack Morgan’s girlfriend, Ozeline Schmidt, had inherited a copper factory from her father. It’s also been said that the head bartender at the Cock ‘n’ Bull, a famous sunset strip restaurant in Hollywood, invented the recipe, but I guess we’ll never really know.
The rebirth in popularity of the Moscow Mule could be a result of the continuously expanding interest in the craft beer industry. As people become more and more infatuated with craft brews and ciders, there’s also a growing curiously in ginger beer, as opposed to the commercially produced ginger ale. People want to know what they’re drinking and taste quality ingredients, and spicy ginger beer can do the trick. Whatever your reasoning is for ordering a Moscow Mule, they are here to stay. The historic cocktail keeps on getting more elaborate as bartenders try and reinvent the classic.
If you’re the type of person who would rather make your own cocktail and ingredients, ginger beer is really attainable for the at-home mixologist. There are a ton of benefits to making fermented ginger beer at home, like vitamins and probiotics. Plus, it’s a healthier option compared to most sodas and carbonated beverages out there.
How To Make Fermented Ginger Beer
Here’s the gist. Fill a large pot with water. Add in cream of tartar, lemon juice and fresh ginger, that’s been peeled and grated. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to medium heat, add in sugar and stir until it’s fully dissolved. Add cold water to the pot, let it cool and add in some yeast. Cover the pot with a towel and let it sit in a warm room for a few hours before straining and bottling. For the full ginger beer process, check out this step-by-step recipe by The Roasted Root.
The perfect Moscow Mule is poured over crushed ice and should always be served in a copper mug. Experts know that chilled drinks in copper mugs or cups have that extra-cool sensation, which is perfect for hot summer days, since the metal quickly adapts to the icy temperature of the cocktail. Be careful though, because only solid copper mugs will give you that chilly sensation. Fake mugs won’t cut it.
Get out your cocktail toolkit and juice one-half of a lime into a copper mug, add in your desired amount of vodka, fill up the mug with crushed ice, top it off with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge. Voila! You’re on the road to becoming the designated mixologist in your friend group.
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