Cocktail Chronicles: The Story of the Moscow Mule

Woody Allen has been the spokesman for the drink, Oprah is a big fan. You can’t ignore the Moscow Mule anymore. It’s easy to make, surprisingly refreshing and full of flavor. Despite its name, the Moscow Mule was invented in the United States of America. Like all iconic cocktails there are many different stories explaining its origins. We'll stick with the most common and convincing story about the creation of the Moscow Mule.

History

In the 1940s, a small drinks trader called John G. Martin acquired the American rights to a large Russian Vodka brand in the USA. He came up with a plan together with a friend of his, (a bar owner and drinks manufacturer) to launch a mixed drink made with ginger beer: the Moscow Mule.

The drink was promoted and served in a beautiful copper mug and the Vodka brand subsequently became world famous. Allegedly, the wife of mister Martin owned a company that produced copper mugs. This completed the circle, and the Moscow Mule was born. The Moscow Mule experienced a revival at the start of the 21st century and is now enjoyed all over the world.

The Mule Kick

A good Moscow Mule is a fresh, spicy, and easy to drink cocktail with a nice vodka kick. The bitters in the Moscow Mule add depth to the fresh, earthy, spicy flavor of the ginger beer in combination with the vodka and lime juice. The seemingly simple Moscow Mule is unique in the way that it never bores and continues to fascinate us with its light, yet delicious flavors. So, how to make a Moscow Mule you ask?

 Moscow Mule

50 ml Bols Vodka

10-15ml fresh Lime juice

150 ml Ginger beer

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Pour the Bols Vodka in a copper mug or a highball glass. Add the lime juice and cubed ice. Top up with ginger beer. Churn (mix) twice with a barspoon and garnish with a lime boat (half squeezed lime shell) and a mint sprig on top. Dash the Angostura bitters into the lime boat.

Like its slightly more angelic sister, ginger ale, ginger beer can be mixed with almost any spirit. But these varietal cocktails each have their own name such as the Dark & Stormy with dark Rum. The Moscow Mule is only ever made with vodka.

If you want to add a flavor to the Moscow Mule, you can reduce the volume of the Vodka to 35 ml and add 15 ml of a Bols liqueur of choice. Suitable flavors include Bols Apricot Brandy, Bols Dry Orange and Bols Blue Curaçao. Experiment with different flavors to find your favorite Bols liqueur combination with the Moscow Mule.