MOSCOW MULE

MOSCOW MULE

½ a lime

2 ounces vodka

Ginger Ale

Chances are you’ve heard of the MOSCOW MULE cocktail. It was not the first vodka drink, but it was the first popular vodka drink — becoming all the rage shortly after Prohibition in the 1930s. Sure, vodka had been around long before that, but most Americans regarded my favorite spirit as only something Russians drank right out of the bottle.

The owner of Smirnoff Vodka created the MOSCOW MULE with a friend in Los Angeles who owned the Cock and Bull Tavern. This friend, Jack Morgan, had too much ginger beer and a girlfriend who had inherited a copper goods company. Vodka and ginger beer were put in a copper cup, combined with lime, and, Whala! Americans liked vodka. The fact that it was a hot summer in L.A. and cold copper cups made the drink very refreshing, helped I’m sure. Smirnoff — which had been struggling at the time — is now the best selling brand of spirits in the U.S.

Even if you don’t have a copper cup, like me, I recommend trying this legendary cocktail. To make the MOSCOW MULE, first cut a lime in half. Squeeze the juice from the lime into a mug, then drop the lime shell in. Fill the mug with ice, add 2 ounces of vodka, and fill the rest of the mug with ginger ale. Whala!

Back when the MOSCOW MULE first became popular, ginger ale was a whole different beast. It was called ginger beer, and it very gingery and spicy. If you can find some ol’ time ginger beer, it would probably work great in this cocktail. Me, I’m a Vernors gal myself, and it’s the ginger ale I used. The result was a refreshing cocktail that was fun and easy to make. The pop, lime and vodka make a great combination, and I can understand how this cocktail started Americans thinking about what else they could do with vodka.

I would substitute coffee for a MOSCOW MULE in my mug anytime. But next time I see a copper mug, I’m gonna buy it so I can experience sipping a MOSCOW MULE on a hot summer day the right way. And that’s no Cock and Bull.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie