Directions
The Moscow Mule is one of the most famous cocktails ever made, a pillar of the history of mixed drinks.
And perhaps this is why very few people know how to make it well and with the proper ingredients: no cocktail recipe has ever been so battered and misinterpreted.
The Moscow Mule is a long drink with not too high alcohol content, the refreshing drink par excellence, thanks to the pungent, titillating flavor of the ginger.
Please, pay attention to the original Moscow Mule cocktail ingredients: vodka, ginger beer, lime juice, and a slice of lime as a garnish: that’s all!
You will often find around Moscow Mule containing cucumber, from which the erroneous belief that it is an official ingredient, but it is not. It is a variant and adds extra freshness and aromatic deepness but is not contemplated in the original recipe of the Moscow Mule.
Moscow Mule’s history
The Moscow Mule was invented in 1940 in California and is part of the family of the Buck Cocktails, drinks made with ginger ale (or beer), lemon juice, and a spirit.
Many think it comes from the Buck Fizz (Champagne and orange juice) or the Horse’s Neck (ginger ale, bitters, and cognac), which initially was a simple glass of ginger beer with a lemon peel.
With the addition of the vodka, this cocktail began to kick, turning the horse into a mule, and so the Vodka Buck became Moscow Mule.
If we replace vodka with tequila, we will drink an El Burro or Mexican Burro cocktail. Of course, Kentucky Mule is made with bourbon and Gin Gin Mule with gin.
If you add lime juice to a Rum Buck, you’ll prepare a Dark and Stormy. It’s a huge family indeed.
Moscow Mule cocktail ingredients
- 4.5 cl of vodka
- 12 cl ginger beer
- 0.5 cl of lime juice (or bergamot or citron, not contemplated in the original recipe, but highly recommended)
How to make the original Moscow Mule cocktail
Once, the Moscow Mule was served in copper mugs, engraved the funny mule, but a simple old-fashioned glass is also more than adequate. Squeeze a lime and strain juice, then put it in a glass with ice and some lime wedges. Pour vodka, ginger beer. Garnish with a slice of lime and fresh ginger. If you want something new, try this Moscow Mule with bergamot, and you’ll have a fabulous Mediterranean Moscow. If you can’t find any ginger beer, mix the same ginger ale with 3 grams of chopped ginger.
Which vodka is best for making Moscow Mules
Choose a solid, rough vodka with a beautiful structure. The robust flavors of lime and ginger beer marry superbly with a full-bodied and simple vodka, with a retro cut. There is no need for many subtle perfumes or flavors (they would be crushed by ginger beer), so don’t invest in fashionable vodkas, like Vodka Purity or that wink at the aromas of gin. Focus on a suitable distillate that costs a maximum of 30 euros per bottle.
Moscow Mule food pairings
Finger food and various Cicchetti, try fish, white meat, poultry, and spicy foods. Avoid red meat. Recommended dishes: grilled cheese sandwich; parmigiana ravioli, spaghetti with clams, chicken tikka masala, Chicken Cacciatore, Vitello Tonnato, truffle risotto, pasta alla carbonara, paella mixta.
Vodka Party
If you are a vodka lover, you could also try Espresso Martini, Cosmopolitan, Vodka Sour, Vodka Tonic, Kamikaze, Sex on the beach, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Caipiroska.
