The
Moscow Mule
In terms of warm weather drinks, the Moscow Mule is pretty much everything you need: Thirst-quenching, smooth and about as easy to make as a cocktail can be. Made with ginger beer, the soda with a spicier bite than its puny cousin ginger ale, it came of age during America's vodka craze in the 1950s. But it may never have come to be if not for the ingenuity of a Los Angeles barkeep and an early Smirnoff executive. It's said that the cocktail was conceived in 1941 to boost low sales of the then-unknown vodka and to offload the bar's ginger beer that was gathering dust in the basement. After mixing up a few for the actors who frequented the joint, the Moscow Mule took off. And the old school drink is still kicking today.
Technique
1.)
Squeeze half a lime's worth of juice into a highball glass (or copper mug) and drop in the spent shell.
2.)
Add a couple of ice cubes, then pour in your vodka.
3.)
Fill with cold ginger beer, give it a stir and top with a fresh lime wedge.
Garnish It
There's a simplicity to this drink, but if you want to take it to the next level, top it off with a sprig of mint or a slice of fresh ginger.
FYI
You don't need a traditional copper mug to enjoy it,
but if you want your cocktail extra cold, this does the job.
$19.95 at Crate & Barrel
