The Moscow Mule is a simple drink with a complicated past.
Details of its origins are fuzzy. Circa 1941, in a now-shuttered Hollywood bar called Cock ’n’ Bull, someone combined fresh lime juice with two ounces of vodka and a few more ounces of ginger beer. According to some reports, the cocktail recipe was bartender Wes Price’s idea. Others credit Cock ’n’ Bull owner Jack Morgan and executive John G. Martin, who had recently acquired Smirnoff vodka and wanted to market it to brandy-drinking Americans.
Either way, the Moscow Mule didn’t gain broad popularity until 1947, when Martin snapped Polaroids of bartenders across Los Angeles holding copper mugs in one hand and bottles of Smirnoff vodka in the other. Soon enough buzz grew, and the Moscow Mule found its audience.
Tart citrus and spicy ginger provide all the flavor in this vodka cocktail, so squeeze fresh lime juice and use the best ginger beer you can find. Fever Tree Ginger Beer and Q Ginger Beer are widely available, or you can make your own.
Like many classic cocktails, the Moscow Mule recipe is also a versatile rubric for experimentation. Swap out vodka for tequila to make a Mexican Mule, Irish whiskey for an Irish Mule, gin for a Gin-Gin Mule, or bourbon for a Kentucky Mule.
A garnish isn’t traditional, but you can amplify the aromatics of your Moscow Mule by adding a lime wedge or sliver of candied or fresh ginger to your Collins glass or copper mug.
Recipe information
Total Time
3 minutes
Yield
Makes 1
Ingredients
Preparation
Squeeze 1 lime half into a copper mug or Collins glass and drop it into the glass. Add cracked or crushed ice cubes, then pour in 2 oz. vodka and top with 4 oz. ginger beer, chilled. Serve with a stirring rod.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first published in November 2005. Head this way for more of our best vodka cocktails →
Recipe notes
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Polish up your copper mugs.
