Ginger Mule
A Moscow Mule without the vodka, in the same cold copper mug.
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 900 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 900 ml line. Ginger beer - A proper fiery one - a mild ginger beer makes a dull drink
- 120 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 120 ml line. Lime juice
- 60 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Simple syrup - Only if your ginger beer is a dry one
- 6 sprigs Mint sprig (optional)
- 6 wedges 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
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 1.08 l of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- 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
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
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.