The Moscow Mule Cocktail is a classic for a reason. In this Moscow Mule Recipe, you are going to find a whole bunch of flavor and discover the real roots of the classic drink.
Here we are in the middle of our deep dive of the Moscow Mule. We have looked at the history of the cocktail and examined the individual ingredients. Now, all we have to do is execute on what I feel is the best Moscow Mule recipe we can make. So today, we are going to create an accurate and the best Moscow Mule recipe that we can.
History of the Moscow Mule and the Classic Cocktail
If you have been following along or have checked out any of the links to the previous post, you know where this is going. The Moscow Mule was an invention of brands. The head of Smirnoff Vodka, the creator of Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer, and an owner of a copper mine sat down at a table in 1940 to try and find a way to sell their products. At that time, neither vodka or ginger beer were popular drinks in America. The Moscow Mule was invented at that table.
So, due to the marketing prowess of these two companies, the Moscow Mule was born. I can’t think of any other ingredients or recipe to use that the exact recipe that the inventor used. Here is a quote from the former CEO of Smirnoff and the inventor of the Moscow Mule:
“And so with Kunett, one evening, Morgan, Ozaline Schmidt, and I met at the bar of the Cock ‘n Bull restaurant and tried to think up a drink for Smirnoff Vodka with ginger beer. We finally came up with the name ‘Moscow Mule.’ Just how it originated, I don’t know, but I imagine it had to do with a kick. The Moscow Mule eventually developed to be a 2 oz drink of Smirnoff Vodka, put in a copper mug made by Ozaline. Then, mixed with ginger beer from Morgan’s Cock ‘n Bull ginger beer bottle and a squeeze of lime.”
There it is. An accurate Moscow Mule recipe straight from the inventor of the cocktail. Read on for the recipe form.
PrintA Real and Best Moscow Mule Recipe
You might be surprised to learn that you might not be drinking an authentic Moscow Mule. Check this recipe out to get the cocktail ingredients straight from the inventors of the drink!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 Minutes
- Yield: 1 Drink 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 Copper Mug
- Ice
- 2 Ounces Smirnoff Vodka
- 1 Bottle of Cock ‘n Bull ginger beer
- 1/2 lime, juice
- Lime slice, garnish
Instructions
- Add ice to copper mug
- Add vodka to mug
- Fill mug with ginger beer
- Squeeze ½ lime into drink
- Stir
- Garnish with lime slice
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29 Comments
serena
December 27, 2017 at 11:21 amI had no idea the history of this drink. Always love the story of why and how. Now is it 5 o’clock yet?
Ben
December 27, 2017 at 11:37 amIt is… somewhere, right? 🙂
Beth
December 27, 2017 at 11:26 amWell, that is a very cool piece of history! Good way to sell your products!
Ben Myhre
December 27, 2017 at 11:34 amAn even more interesting part is that Smirnoff was struggling at the time! They were having a tough time selling Vodka in America at all, partially because of the stigma of Russia and partially because of the prevalence of whiskey.
Traci
December 27, 2017 at 11:35 amCool story. Love Moscow Mules! Thanks for sharing!
Ben
December 27, 2017 at 11:36 amThanks for reading and commenting! Cheers, Traci!
Julie
December 27, 2017 at 11:50 amOne of my favorite cocktails. Refreshing and so flavorful. Plus quite the presentation in a copper mug.
Ben
December 27, 2017 at 11:54 amThat copper mug really puts a little bit of pomp and circumstance behind the drink, doesn’t it?
Veena Azmanov
December 27, 2017 at 2:10 pmOH how fascinating to read the history of this drink. I didn’t know that — Love the copper mugs and that’s how I first got to drinking a Moscow Mule years back.
Leslie
December 28, 2017 at 2:21 pmIs it weird that I want to make a moscow mule JUST so I can drink it out of those sweet copper mugs?
Ben
December 28, 2017 at 3:00 pmNot at all… the pomp and circumstance around anything like this can help make it fun.
Jessica Robinson
December 28, 2017 at 6:11 pmSounds like pretty interesting flavors! Will definitely be trying this recipe soon!
Meredith Kauffman
December 29, 2017 at 12:12 amI have always wondered what goes into a Moscow Mule… sounds delicious!
Kushi
December 29, 2017 at 3:02 amLooks so refreshing and flavorful. Thank you for sharing this.
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
December 29, 2017 at 8:19 amI love how you delve into the history of classic recipes that we wouldn’t have necessarily looked into before! Moscow mules are a favorite in my house – I’ll need to try this legit version soon. Cheers!
Paige
December 29, 2017 at 8:37 amFun story…who knew? Looks refreshing and delicious
Sharon Glascoe
December 29, 2017 at 6:44 pmWhat a great recipe and a really unique story behind this popular drink. Can’t wait to try this one out asap.
Christine
December 29, 2017 at 7:32 pmLove simple, classic cocktails like this and it’s super interesting to read the history. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Mason
December 29, 2017 at 9:13 pmI love the history of this drink and how in the world could vodka not be popular in the states!!! I love vodka and I love Moscow Mules!! I’ll have to print this recipe out to try later!
Helene
December 30, 2017 at 8:21 amHA! I had no idea about the story behind the Moscow mule. I did see this drink appearing online in the past few years but didn’t know what to make of it. Now I just need to get ginger beer and request the drink at the bar. 🙂
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade
December 30, 2017 at 2:47 pmI’m a Tito’s and Grey Goose girl, so those are the vodkas that I use in my Moscow Mules 🙂 I’ve never been able to find the Cock N Bull ginger beer either, but I may need to search a little harder
Moscow Mule Wrap Up - Ramshackle Pantry
January 4, 2018 at 10:47 am[…] We mixed THE BEST, and accurate, Moscow Mule. […]
Amy Nash
January 5, 2018 at 7:51 pmSuch interesting tradition and history behind this, especially with the copper mug!
Andrea Metlika
November 13, 2018 at 7:44 pmDefinitely need to try this “real” version soon. Quick, easy to make and delicious.
★★★★★
Sara | Belly Rumbles
November 13, 2018 at 8:27 pmA classic recipe for sure. I had no idea how or why it was created, loved that little bit of cocktail history.
Emily
November 13, 2018 at 8:43 pmThat history is wild. I’ve been wanting to try a Mosco Mule ever since I saw one made on the show Better Call Saul. (It’s Saul Goodman and his girlfriend’s drink of choice when they are celebrating.) Thanks for posting the recipe!
★★★★★
Stef
November 13, 2018 at 9:24 pmI love learning about the history of food and drink. I had no idea about the Moscow Mule’s history. Fascinating! And, now I want to make a Moscow Mule and sit down and read through more of your posts and learn more fun facts!
★★★★★
Ben
November 14, 2018 at 8:20 amThat is awesome! Thank you for reading Steff. I have a bunch of recipes, but also always add some history and tag them as such. Here is my list of history posts. https://ramshacklepantry.com/tag/history/
Sonal
November 13, 2018 at 9:49 pmMoscow Mule is my husband and my favorite drink. Love the recipe.
★★★★★