In the grand tradition of cocktail lore, the story of the classic Moscow Mule is a story about business. A Hollywood businessman had his hands on a product that wouldn’t sell (in this case, Russian Smirnoff vodka, then unknown to Americans in the 1940s) and befriended a pub owner who made a product that also wouldn’t sell (spicy and tart ginger beer).
The two entrepreneurs put their respective products together with a splash of lime and served it in a copper mug, which, if other origin stories are to be believed, was another item no one was buying at the time. Thus, the Moscow Mule was born and quickly found its way into the glamorous hands of the Hollywood elite. Anybody who was anybody was drinking a mule out of an ice-filled copper mug and looking darn spiffy while doing it.
Flash forward 75 years and Smirnoff is now a household name thanks to the mule. Vodka has gone from exotic foreign liquor to the most basic of basic booze—the go-to when you don’t know what you want or it’s the only option at a poorly stocked party and you are trapped talking to the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With (who you just know drinks nothing but vodka sodas).
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But the good news is, the Moscow Mule has seen a resurgence on craft cocktail menus as it celebrates its 75th anniversary, and bartenders are coming up with inventive and delicious ways to reimagine the vodka-based drink. Surprise! You can swap out the often-tasteless vodka for bourbon and call it a Kentucky Mule. Other recipes use brandy, rum or gin. As long as your foundation is lime and that spicy ginger flavor, you’ve got the makings of a mule.
At Bin 77 and its courtyard-adjacent Bin 77 Sidebar, the mule makes a refreshing appearance as the Rosemary Mule. A housemade rosemary simple syrup adds a floral note to the lime and ginger beer mixture. (Side note: The bar has no less than three cocktails featuring rosemary, so clearly someone has access to a bountiful herb garden.) But the bar’s more inspired move of late is the use of a Polish bison grass vodka, Sobieski, as the base spirit.
In Polish bars, the slightly sweet herb-infused vodka is sipped straight and slow from cold glasses. In Bin 77’s Rosemary Mule, it adds a bit of nuance to cut through the citrus and spicy kick of the lime and ginger beer. The cocktail is served in a traditional copper mug with plenty of ice and a rosemary sprig as a garnish.
It makes for a frosty, thirst-quenching way to celebrate the end of summer.
Just kidding! It’s never going to cool off!
Get your mule on:
Besides Bin 77, you can find versions of the Moscow Mule at plenty of Baton Rouge bars and restaurants.
Huey’s Bar downtown makes a Louisiana Mule with Louisiana rum, Gingeroo and the unique addition of Parish Canebrake beer.
Beausoleil Restaurant & Bar offers a Mississippi Mule with Cathead Honeysuckle vodka and homemade ginger beer.
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The Cove features several versions of the mule on its extensive menu, including the morning-friendly New Orleans Mule with Bourbon, coffee liquor, pineapple juice, lime juice and ginger beer.
The Overpass Merchant recently came up with a speedy way to fast-track its signature Frozen Mule from behind the bar to your table.
Welcome to the end of summer with 225 Dine. Our Summer Sippin’ series explores some of the Capital Region’s most refreshing drinks, from lemonade to cocktails to smoothies. Know of a Moscow Mule-style cocktail we missed? Let us know about it in the comments!