Mr. D. fussed at me regarding my inaugural cocktail of the week, claiming that I had never had a sidecar. Not true, but admittedly it has been a while since I had one. But this week's subject is currently occupying my number one position for favorite cocktail.
The Moscow Mule is a "buck" cocktail, which is any cocktail made with ginger ale or ginger beer. (Fun fact: it's also known as a "vodka buck"). Although invented in the 1940's, it became wildly popular in the 1950's when vodka (from Russia) was all the rage in America. Hence, the name Moscow Mule. As you have probably guess, it's ingredients are vodka, ginger beer, and lime.
Here's a basic Moscow Mule recipe:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. fresh lime juice (seriously, it must be fresh - No Roses' lime juice!)
4 oz. ginger beer (available at most grocery stores)
Pour the vodka and lime juice over ice in either a copper mug or tall Collins glass. Add ginger beer and stir. (You can scale up or down the ginger to suit your taste.)
As you may have noted in the instructions above, the Moscow Mule also has another important component which is often overlooked - it is traditionally served in a copper mug. There doesn't seem to be a consensus as to why it is traditionally served that way, other than it does keep a drink very cold. Here are some links to where to find those:
Like the shape of this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Dutch-International-Moscow-16-Ounce/dp/B000UCJJH8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1364503716&sr=1-1&keywords=moscow+mule+copper+mug
Here's an old-fashioned looking one:
http://www.buttecoppercompany.com/product.sc;jsessionid=4B7BFF9DE89349CF8C187E339A6BACEA.qscstrfrnt04?productId=313&categoryId=10
You can personalize this one:
http://www.markandgraham.com/products/copper-mug/
They are a bit pricey, but don't fret. The cocktail tastes just a good in an old-fashioned Collins glass.
The Moscow Mule is a simple, but complex-tasting cocktail that is perfect for any season due to its spicy ginger notes. Cheers!
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