how to make a moscow mule cocktail

The Moscow Mule is a highball buck cocktail made with Vodka as the base liquor. As with other buck or mule drinks, it contains ginger beer along with the vodka base. A buck or mule is a class of drink that is made with a base spirit and ginger beer as its ingredients.

The name Moscow mule comes from the perception of vodka being a Russian product. Any cocktail that contains either the ginger beer or ginger ale along with a base liquor is often referred to as a buck or a mule cocktail. For this same reason, this cocktail is also sometimes called a Vodka Buck.

Many variations of this drink involve substituting the vodka with other base spirits such as Rum, Tequila or Whiskey. This specific recipe calls for a couple of other ingredients such as the lime juice and sugar syrup.

Ingredients

  •  2 shots of your favorite Vodka
  • 1 shot of the lime juice
  • 3 shots of the Ginger Beer
  • 1/2 shot of sugar syrup (optional)
  • Lime wedge for garnish

Recipe/Preparation

  1. Add Lime juice into a Moscow mule mug (a copper mug or cup)
  2. Add ice cubes into the mug
  3. Add Vodka into the mug
  4. Add sugar syrup (optional)
  5. Stir well to mix well, especially the syrup if you have added any
  6. Add and top off with Ginger beer
  7. Serve with a stirrer or a long spoon
Moscow Mule in a Copper Mug

Variations and Similar Drinks

Jager Mule or Mule Meister: Substitute Vodka with JagerMeister as the base spirit.
Mobile Mule: Substitute Light Rum for Vodka in the recipe.
Mexican Mule: Substitute Vodka with Tequila as the base spirit. Obviously the tequila gives the name to the drink.
Kentucky Mule: It uses Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey instead of Vodka.
A variation of this drink recipe by the same name adds two dashes of Angostura bitters along with the other ingredients. The addition of bitters will alter the taste of the drink.

Tips

  • If you do not have a mule mug (a copper mug), then you can use a highball or Collins’ glass.
  • Sugar syrup is just to remove the tartness of the lime and is optional. Increase the proportion of the sugar syrup to make the drink sweeter.
  • You can also use mint as a garnish instead of the lime wedge.