Cherry Mule
A delightful riff on a classic.
by Erin Henderson
The history of the Moscow Mule is a relatively recent one, with drink historians generally settling on the early 1940's as the time of its arrival. After that, stories diverge between the birthplace as New York or Los Angeles, and other points of fact bantered about.
None of which I care about all that much.
What I do find more interesting is the history of that classic copper mug and how a hard-luck trifecta turned individual misfortunes into a collective great one.
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In the 1930's John Martin, the American head of Smirnoff vodka, was struggling with poor sales. In those days Americans weren't interested in vodka – gin and whisky were their game. As he sat drinking his woes away in the Los Angeles bar, the Cock n' Bull, the bar's owner, Jack Morgan, was also nursing his own financial wounds, having failed to launch his own brand of ginger beer. While the two struggling businessmen commiserated, in walked the forlorn daughter of a Russian copper maker. She had come to America with 2,000 copper mugs she hoped would help make her fortune. But no one was buying what she was selling.
Morgan's head bartender, Wes Price, started playing around with the deadbeat products, and, as history goes, turned three strikes into one major success.
Of course, different versions of this story float around the internet, and you can pick the one you like best. Is the one above the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Maybe. Maybe not. But as I learned when I was a journalist, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
One thing is true however: pure copper isn't a good idea when it comes to acidic ingredients, like the ones found in a Moscow Mule. The acid can leach copper into the drink potentially causing poisoning. But you probably don't have much to worry about as most modern copper mugs are usually a blend of materials.
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Cherry Mule
Mules are simply cocktail descriptors, like sours and bucks. Mules, by definition, must include ginger beer, and these days the Moscow Mule is probably the most popular example. Of course, you can make a Kentucky Mule by swapping the vodka for bourbon, or a Mexcian Mule by using tequila.
And, naturally, the flavour riffs are endless as well, as with this cherry version.
Makes: 1 drink
Bartender level: easy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz vodka
- ½ oz cherry liqueur
- ½ oz lime juice
- 4 oz ginger beer
How to Make It:
- Into a rocks glass filled with ice, add the vodka through lime juice.
- Stir gently to chill.
- Top with ginger beer and garnish with cherries if so desired.