Ginger Mule
A Moscow Mule without the vodka, in the same cold copper mug.
Ingredients
- 150 ml Jigger Three large sides (3 x 50 ml) of a standard jigger. Ginger beer - A proper fiery one - a mild ginger beer makes a dull drink
- 20 ml Spoons A tablespoon and a teaspoon. Lime juice
- 10 ml Spoons Two teaspoons. Simple syrup - Only if your ginger beer is a dry one
- 1 sprig Mint sprig (optional)
- 1 wedge Lime wedge (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Fill a mug with ice, add lime and ginger beer, and stir once.
Method
- Fill a copper mug or a highball glass with ice.
- Add the lime juice and the syrup, if you are using it, and stir them through the ice.
- Top with ginger beer, pouring it down the inside of the mug to keep the fizz.
- Add a slapped sprig of mint and a wedge of lime, and stir once more.
Serve it
Ginger Mule
The Moscow Mule is vodka, ginger beer and lime, and it is the rare drink whose alcohol is doing almost nothing - which is why the alcohol-free version is not a compromise at all. Ginger beer already has more personality than most spirits, and the copper mug, which a century of marketing has taught us is part of the experience, keeps it colder than glass would.
Getting it right
Choose the ginger beer by how much it makes you cough: something with real ginger in it carries the drink, and a sweet, mild one leaves you with limeade. The lime is not a garnish, it is the second ingredient - the acidity is what keeps the ginger from turning into syrup. A copper mug genuinely does help, but only if it goes in the freezer for ten minutes first. Mint is optional and worth it.
Tasting notes
Hot, spicy ginger, cold lime and a long cooling finish, with the mint drifting over the top. The best long drink in the book, and the fastest one to make.