Refreshing Moonshine Mule Recipe
Feelin’ hot? Why not cool down with our moonshine mule recipe?
A moonshine mule is a fun take on the traditional Moscow mule which is a blend of vodka, lime and ginger beer. While it would stand to reason that this cocktail originated in Russia, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, it seems this cocktail was actually dreamt up as a marketing scheme rather than an homage to the land of snow and Soviets.
According to Esquire, the drink did originate during the cold war. In 1941 to be exact, the same year that the U.S. and the Russians became allies.
It is believed that two men, one an employee of the Los Angeles bar ‘The Cock and Bulls’ and the other a Smirnoff executive, came up with the drink in order to sell some of their respective stock. The bar employee had an excess of ginger beer and the Smirnoff exec wanted to sell more vodka to Americans.
The plan obviously worked. The drink became very popular with the Hollywood elite and Americans still enjoy vodka to this day.
The Copper Connection
While this marketing campaign worked well for vodka, it makes sense that it could do the same for moonshine. After all, the Moscow mule is famously tied with copper because it is always served in copper mugs.
Copper is famously tied with moonshine because copper is used to remove sulfur (which is that nasty rotten egg smell) in moonshine stills. It makes sense to take this coupling one step further and serve moonshine in a copper mug.
The copper mug provides the perfect connection between the Moscow mule and the famously chilly Mother Russia. Copper is perfect for keeping your drink deliciously chilled and is very much appreciated during the warm summer months. While moonshine may not have the same ties to Russia as vodka, it certainly makes sense to enjoy it out of copper mugs.
