You may have noticed the uptick in appearances of copper mugs in trendy pubs, restaurants, and bars across the country. The mug is actually a key component of a hugely popular drink: the Moscow Mule.
The Moscow Mule found its start in the 1940’s when a russian immigrant walked into the Cock’n Bull Pub trying to unload nearly 2,000 copper mugs. The pub’s proprietor just happened to be the owner of the Smirnoff Vodka company.
Together these two came up with a new cocktail featuring vodka and the copper mug. The Moscow Mule is part vodka, part lime, and part ginger beer over ice served in the iconic copper mug that keeps the drink nicely chilled.
Today, variations of the Moscow Mule are easy to find. Here are the five most popular ways to serve up this tasty cocktail.
The Kentucky Mule
Having become popular in the heavy bourbon drinking areas of Appalachia and the Blue Ridge, the Kentucky Mule substitutes vodka with Kentucky bourbon, making for a nice variation on a steamy summer evening. Every other ingredient is identical to the Moscow mule. The result is a slightly sweeter take on the vodka based tradition.
Gin Gin Mule
This time, instead of vodka, the Gin Gin Mule is made with gin. Thanks to the United Kingdom where gin and ginger beer are favorites, the Gin Gin Mule found its origins. Make this drink with a dry gin for the best results, add a little mint, and serve it in a copper mug or collins glass.
Mexican Mule
Noticing a trend? Yep, the Mexican Mule is made with tequila instead of vodka. Everything else is the same. The Mexican Mule is a popular cocktail in many parts of American where Tequila is king.
Spicy Mule
This unique twist on the traditional mule adds a bit of heat with a jalapeno pepper. Playing nicely with the ginger, thin slices of this pepper are added to the drink with some orange liqueur. Add ice, vodka, and ginger beer, and you’ve got yourself one spicy mule!
Garden Mule
The Garden Mule is a colorful variation of the Moscow mule, adding fresh blueberries and cucumbers to the mix. Surprisingly refreshing, this easy sipper will take you through a hot summer in the most enjoyable way. Four cucumber slices, 8 blueberries, and mint leaves get muddled together, topped off with ice, vodka, and lime, and then shaken and strained into a copper mug with more blueberries and ginger beer. Garnish with a sprig and enjoy all summer long.
All of these variations on this famous drink showcases the wonderful versatility of the Moscow Mule. Add the fun, trendy copper mug, and you can be sure to enjoy all the variations not only all summer long, but any time of the year. So, next time you find yourself at an establishment serving up drinks with the copper mugs, make sure you ask for any one of these fun takes on the Moscow mule.
