ew places lead to new discoveries. One thing Switzerland thankfully introduced me to is the Moscow Mule.

I’m not a huge fan of strong cocktails and the Mule was an instant good fit, the spicy ginger beer hides the vodka – but it’s deceptively strong. A few of these can provide a serious buzz. 

1. Moscow Mule

George Sinclair’s 2007 article on the origin of the drink quotes the New York Herald Tribune from 1948:

The mule was born in Manhattan but “stalled” on the West Coast for the duration. The birthplace of “Little Moscow” was in New York’s Chatham Hotel. That was back in 1941 when the first carload of Jack Morgan’s Cock ‘n’ Bull ginger beer was railing over the plains to give New Yorkers a happy surprise… The Violette Family helped. Three friends were in the Chatham bar, one John A. Morgan, known as Jack, president of Cock ‘n’ Bull Products and owner of the Hollywood Cock ‘n’ Bull Restaurant; one was John G. Martin, president of G.F. Heublein Brothers Inc. of Hartford, Conn., and the third was Rudolph Kunett, president of the Pierre Smirnoff, Heublein’s vodka division. As Jack Morgan tells it, “We three were quaffing a slug, nibbling an hors d’oeuvre and shoving toward inventive genius”. Martin and Kunett had their minds on their vodka and wondered what would happen if a two-ounce shot joined with Morgan’s ginger beer and the squeeze of lemon. Ice was ordered, lemons procured, mugs ushered in and the concoction put together. Cups were raised, the men counted five and down went the first taste. It was good. It lifted the spirit to adventure. Four or five days later the mixture was christened the Moscow mule…

It’s traditionally served in a copper mug, however, there’s some concern that the acidity of the drink can leach the copper out of the mug and end with copper toxicity, thus you should buy a copper mug lined with something like stainless steel.

The ingredient list is simple and when we returned home I ordered a set of copper mugs and copper straws from Amazon so I can drink them here.

if absinthe is used, it is a Bohemian mule. Or, if cinnamon schnapps is added as well, a dead man’s mule.

If you’ve never had one – give it a try.

Moscow mule in St. Moritz

…and a few more!

2. Recipe

Combine vodka and ginger beer in a highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently. Garnish.