Looking for a simple cocktail? The Irish Whiskey Mule is spicy, refreshing, and just three ingredients. This twist on the Moscow Mule, which was invented at Hollywood’s Cock n’ Bull during the 1940s, substitutes Irish whiskey for the traditional vodka. Add some ginger beer, and half a lime, and you’ve got one simple, but tasty cocktail for St. Patrick’s Day.
History of the Moscow Mule
The Moscow Mule has various origin stories. Most cocktails do. One story claims that in 1941 John G. Martin of the Heublein Drinks company (which owned Smirnoff vodka) invented the drink with Cock n’ Bull owner Jack Morgan. One needed to sell more vodka and the other was trying to sell his own brand of ginger beer. Another story adds a Russian immigrant named Sophie Berezinski, into the mix. The Moscow Copper Company credits her with developing the cocktail in conjunction with Morgan and Martin. Sophie, it seems, immigrated from Russia to the United States with 2000 copper mugs from her father’s copper factory. She needed to sell them, so she approached the pair and together they concocted the famous cocktail.
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But there’s another possible inventor to throw into the mix. In a 1951 interview, Cock n’ Bull bartender Wes Price claimed that he was the one who invented the Moscow Mule, and it was really just a way to use up some surplus product. “I just wanted to clean out the basement. . . I was tryin’ to get rid of a lot of dead stock- Cock n’ Bull ginger beer that we made and 100 cases of vodka that we had to buy then in order to get other liquors.” Why the copper mug? Price said it was just a clever marketing ploy. He wanted to use “somethin’ different so people will ask what’s in it.” He claims that he first served it to actors Rod Cameron and Brod Crawford, and then “it caught on like wildfire.”
Whatever the story, the Moscow Mule is a simple and refreshing cocktail that has stood the test of time, and can be easily modified depending on the type of liquor you prefer or have on hand. Make a Kentucky Mule with bourbon, a Mexican Mule with tequila, a Gin Gin mule with gin, or an Irish Mule with Irish Whiskey, our mule of choice for today.
The Irish Whiskey Mule
- 2 oz Irish Whiskey
- 4 oz Ginger Beer
- Juice of 1/2 Lime (add the rind to the mug)
Fill a copper mug liberally with ice, add the ingredients and stir gently.
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