Highballs · Vodka · IBA official
Moscow Mule
Vodka, lime and fiery ginger beer in a frost-cold copper mug
Vodka and fresh lime topped with spicy ginger beer, served over ice in a copper mug that keeps it frosty. Zesty, fiery and easy-drinking, with the ginger doing most of the talking. A go-to long drink for summer afternoons and casual gatherings.
- Glass
- Copper mug
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Technique
- Built in the glass
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 2 min
- Strength
- ≈ 10% ABV
Ingredients
- 45 mlVodka1½ oz
- 10 mlFresh lime juice¼ oz
- 120 mlGinger beerto top4 oz
- GarnishLime wedge + Mint sprig
≈ 189 ml served · 1.4 standard drinks
Substitutes: Fresh lemon juice can stand in for Fresh lime juice. Ginger ale can stand in for Ginger beer.
Method
- 1
Fill a copper mug with ice cubes.
- 2
Add the vodka and lime juice.
- 3
Top with ginger beer and stir gently once.
- 4
Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
History
The most widely told story places its birth around 1941 at the Cock 'n' Bull on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, where owner Jack Morgan was struggling to sell his ginger beer and John G. Martin was trying to win Americans over to vodka. The copper mug became its signature and helped sell the drink across the country.
- Origin
- Los Angeles, USA
- First recorded
- 1941
Bartender's notes
- Pick a properly fiery ginger beer – it carries the whole drink.
- Swap the vodka for bourbon for a Kentucky Mule, or for tequila for a Mexican Mule.
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