The Moscow Mule took America by storm in 1941, and is credited with bringing vodka to popularity in the US. All you need to make the classic version is vodka, ginger beer, lime, and a copper mug… the last item being entirely optional. The drink is so easy and versatile you can have some fun with it, and the variations are endless.
What is the History of the Moscow Mule?
Sophie Berezinski came to America in the 1940s with only her dreams, a story familiar to anyone with an immigrant background. What makes her story unusual is what she was carrying with her: 2,000 copper mugs. After she couldn’t find a way to sell the mugs from her family business, Berezinski then went on to develop her cocktail in a Hollywood bar, the Cock’n Bull on Sunset Boulevard. Bartenders from the Cock’n Bull then went on to turn the cocktail into a sensation by ordering it at bars and leaving Polaroid photos around so bartenders would recognize the new drink sensation.
Forbidden Moscow Mule
Description
A classic cocktail.
Ingredients
- 2 parts vodka
- 2 parts lime juice
- 2 parts grapefruit juice
- 4 parts ginger beer
- Fresh mint chopped
- Fresh cucumber slices
Instructions
- Muddle vodka, lime juice, and grapefruit juice with fresh mint and cucumbers (reserve some for garnish).
- Strain over ice, top with ginger beer and stir gently. Decorate Moscow mule cocktail with garnish, and if desired rim the glass rim with sugar.
Recipe and Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Brooke Lark
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