Moscow Mule

Refreshing, cooling, and easy to make vodka cocktail with a sparkling spicy touch!

Prep time: about 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0

Yields 2 servings

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free

Love a good Moscow Mule! It is such a refreshing and easy to make cocktail. All you need is five ingredients and a copper mug... and you are set for a night of pure relaxation!

I will not only show you how to make it but I've added links where you can find the right vodka and the copper mugs. So... you are all set!

Vodka, ginger beer, limes, ice, and fresh mint. — Moscow Mule Ingredients

What is the flavor profile?

Crips, refreshing, sharp, spicy, and cooling.

What ingredients will I need to make this?

Vodka, ginger beer, limes, crush ice, and fresh mint for garnishing.

What else will I need to make this cocktail?

Copper mugs, a knife, a cutting board, a cocktail measuring cup, a cocktail mixer, and a cocktail mixing spoon.

What is a Moscow Mule?

A Moscow mule is a cocktail made with vodka, spicy ginger beer, and lime juice, garnished with a slice or wedge of lime. It is a type of buck, therefore sometimes called a vodka buck.

Can I make substitutions?

Yes. Mountain Dew can be substituted for ginger beer to make a Moscow Mole.

If you don't have copper mugs just use a regular short glass.

Where can I find gluten free vodka?

Make sure you use vodka that has been certified as "Gluten Free". I use Tito's Handmade Gluten Free Vodka. You can find it online by visiting titosvodka.com or at your local liquor store.

How do I serve a Moscow Mule?

The Moscow mule is popularly served in a copper mug, which takes on the cold temperature of the liquid. Some public health advisories recommend copper mugs be plated with nickel or stainless steel on the inside and the lip, but it has been disputed whether the time and acidity involved in the drinking of a Moscow mule would be enough to leach out the 30 milligrams of copper per liter needed to cause copper toxicity.

Where can I get copper mugs?

You can find them at your local Walmart Supercenter, home store, or online.

Are there any other variations to the cocktail?

Due to the popularity of the Moscow mule, other buck cocktails with different liquors have been labeled with the "mule" name in recent years. Variations with the name changed accordingly:

Portuguese mule: Pinguça.
Kentucky mule, Horsefeather: Bourbon.
New Orleans mule: Bourbon and coffee liqueur.
Gin-gin mule, London mule, Munich mule, Foghorn: Gin.
Mexican mule: Tequila.
Jamaican mule: Spiced rum.
Aussie mule: Bundaberg Rum.
Irish mule: Irish whiskey.
Glasgow mule: Blended Scotch whisky and St-Germain liqueur.
Bohemian mule: Absinthe.
Dead man's mule: Absinthe and cinnamon schnapps.
French mule: Cognac and angostura bitters.
Prickly pear mule: Pear liqueur and Poire Williams.
Southern mule: Southern Comfort liqueur.
Tuscan mule: Tuaca liqueur.
Oslo mule: Akvavit.
Mistletoe mule: Garnished with rosemary and cranberries.

Another variation uses ginger syrup instead of ginger beer. Other ingredients, such as carrot juice and angostura bitters, can also be added. The addition of raspberry syrup or crème de framboise liqueur turns a Moscow mule into a Floradora. (Source: Wikipedia)

What is Ginger Beer?

Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. It is produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.

Its origins date from the colonial spice trade with the Orient and the sugar-producing islands of the Caribbean.

It was popular in Britain and its colonies from the 18th century. Other spices were variously added and any alcohol content was limited to 2% by excise tax laws in 1855. Few brewers have maintained an alcoholic product.

Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than brewed, frequently with flavor and color additives. Ginger ales are not brewed.

Ginger beer is still produced at home using a symbiotic colony of yeast and a Lactobacillus (bacteria) known as a "ginger beer plant" or from a "ginger bug" starter created from fermenting ginger, sugar, and water.