#How Do You Make a Moscow Mule Cocktail?

Vodka seems like a ubiquitous foundation to so many cocktails today but that wasn’t always the case in America. In the early 20th century the dominant alcohol was gin (think of all the old references and jokes to Prohibition-era “bathtub gin” and you’ll get the idea of how much folks liked it back then. In the early 1940s Smirnoff distributors in the United States were trying everything they could think of to get Americans to develop a taste for vodka, mostly to no avail.

Until, that is, John Martin (the president of Heublein Inc, the U.S. Smirnoff distributor) came up with the idea for the Moscow mule while chatting with a friend of his, John Morgan, who owned a bar in Hollywood called the Cock’n Bull. Morgan had a bunch of ginger beer he was having trouble unloading, Maritn had a bunch of vodka nobody wanted to drink, and a few experiments (and a few drinks we’re sure) later, they had a winner on their hands.

The traditional mule drink consists of vodka, ginger beer, and fresh-squeezed lime, built in a copper mug full of ice—if you’re not familiar with “building” a drink, that simply means you make it in the glass you serve it in rather than shake it and pour it.

The very traditional way to build the Moscow mule is as follows:

• Combine 1 1/2 oz vodka and 4 oz ginger beer in a copper mug (or highball glass) filled with ice.
• Add 1/6 oz lime juice.
• Stir gently and garnish with a fresh lime slice.

However, today, many delicious renditions use fresh herbs, berries, and other fun ingredients.

Moscow mules are usually built due to the carbonated soda (ginger beer) added into the mix. That means, instead of shaking the drink, you add all the ingredients then gently stir. A teardrop bar spoon will help with that, and a muddler will come in handy for the fruity versions.

Here’s our shopping list to help you properly stock your bar for Moscow mules!

You can get away with using a bar glass, but the classic copper mugs are what sell this trendy drink. Plus, copper is an excellent conductor, which means your mug will stay chilled— nothing like an ice-cold beverage on a hot day.

There are plenty of fancy mule recipes that use fruits like berries, peaches, or fresh herbs like basil and mint. If that’s the case, you’ll want a muddler to muddle (or squish out) and release the flavors of these ingredients before adding your alcohol and mixers.

A regular long spoon will work just fine in stirring the ingredients of your Moscow mule. However, if you want a fully stocked bar with all the right gadgets, this teardrop bar spoon is a traditional stirring spoon used in several cocktails that need a gentle merge in ingredients.

While some use ginger ale or ginger elixirs in their mules, intensely flavored ginger beer is the most important component in creating a fantastic mule. You want your ginger beer to burn nice while going down. You’ll know what we mean when you enjoy a proper one. Fever tree makes a premium ginger beer made with three types of ginger, which gives it a sophisticated flavor that is perfect for mules.

You know how to concoct a mule, and with a little shopping under your belt, you have all the tools needed to make one at home. However, if you want a few unique variations, try any of the recipes below.