Flogging the Moscow Mule… but, in a good way

In an odd coincidence, I picked up a bottle of Ginger Beer last week at the local grocery store. My intention was to make a ‘Dark & Stormy Night’ once I picked up some dark rum. I never managed to pick up that dark rum, so maybe its destiny that it was sitting in the bottom of my refrigerator when I was reading about the Moscow Mile and noticed that it included Ginger Beer.

As i started researching it became clear that this particular cocktail had a lot more history to it than I realized. The Moscow Mile actually was the cocktail that kicked off the vodka craze in the 1950s in the US when Gin was the preferred clear liquor. The cocktail was ‘invented’ in 1941 by John G. Martin of G.F, Heublein Brothers Ins; an East Coast distributor of food and spirits, and John ‘Jack’ Morgan, President of Cock’n Bull Products, which produced ginger beer. Morgan was also the owner of the Cock ‘n’ Bull Tavern, a Sunset Boulevard bar that was popular with celebrities. The two combined their efforts and came up with the Moscow Mule.

The Moscow Mule was even served in a copper mug as part of its marketing in American bars, a strategy that played a major role in shifting the liquor market from to gin to vodka.

Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 oz Smirnoff Vodka
• 1 oz Ginger Beer
• 1/2 Lime
• Dash of bitters

Preparation:

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in vodka, lime juice and a dash of bitters. Top with Ginger Beer and garnish with a lime wedge

Cheers from the labs