The Moscow Mule actually belongs to a family of cocktails known as ‘Bucks’. These cocktails are a combination of liquor, ginger ale or beer, and citrus. The intention is that the drink gives you a kick. The most popular of these is the vodka based variation, more commonly known as the Moscow Mule.
The Moscow Mule
Simple and refreshing, Moscow mules require only 3 ingredients to deliver a spicy burst of ginger flavor. The effervescence of the ginger beer compliments well with the brightness of the lime. The ice ensures you can enjoy your mule for a good amount of time as you lounge about. The vodka seamlessly ties the whole thing together.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
The Moscow Mule can be as simple or complicated as you’d like it to be. We specifically tailored this recipe to help the basic bartender easily make the drink while keeping it delicious. For these reasons, we used Gosling’s which covers the ginger element in spades.
That said, you may run across recipes that call for making your own ginger syrups and using club soda. I encourage you to try some of these, like Death & Co’s* to see how much you can shift the profile of the Moscow Mule by refining the ingredients. Remember though, there’s no shame in making something simple and delicious, even if it’s not the best, most complicated, hardest to source Mule on the planet.
- Vodka – As there is such a large quantity of ginger beer and lime in this drink, you’re unlikely to notice the vodka selection. For that reason, we recommend you use your preference based on texture (and nothing too expensive). We used Sobieski here.
- As a sub note – some recipes recommend 1.5 oz of Vodka. We find that this produces a somewhat off balance mule. The 1 to 3 ratio is our recommendation.
- Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
- Ginger Beer – Reminder, this is not ginger ale! We recommend Gosling’s Ginger Beer for it’s spicy ginger notes and uplifting character.
- Garnish – A lime wheel skewered over the top is simple and elegant. Add candied ginger for another level.
- Glassware – We recommend the stereotypical Copper serving vessel.
- Ice – A final note, stop at 70% of the fill volume of your copper mug. Once you add the other ingredients, you may have difficulty adding enough ginger beer. It’s easier to add a little more crushed ice than trying to remove it.
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