Unless you were hiding under a rock lately, you must have noticed the frenzy over the Moscow Mule, a cocktail using ginger and lime beer served in a copper Moscow mule mug. So is this the new craze in town? Or is it here to stay? Based on the continued demand in the bars I visited, I can say with certainty that it is here to stay.
This recipe was extremely popular in the 1940s. Hollywood celebrities started drinking and as usual the public followed them and made this a popular cocktail. But over a period of time, it gradually lost its appeal like any other trend. After a popular TV personality recommended him on his show, he regained his lost insanity.
The story of the Moscow mule and copper cups
The creation of the Moscow Mule was attributed to a chance meeting of three friends at Chatham Bar in 1941. One of the three friends was John A. Morgan, president of Cock ‘n’ Bull Products, who also owned Hollywood Cock. ‘n’ Bull. Restaurant. The second was Rudolph Kunett, president of Pierre Smirnoff, and the third was John G. Martin de Heublein, distributor of alcoholic beverages and food.
Subsequently, various recipes were created to prepare the Moscow mule. Martin and Kunett mixed ginger ale, alcohol, lemon juice, and ice into a mix using mugs.
The three friends named the mix Moscow mule. Martin even ordered specially engraved mule cups to market the new cocktail. The copper mugs with the mule logo would later become inseparable from the drink and contributed to the success of the Smirnoff Company.
Moscow Mule copper mugs resurgence
These mugs have seen a tremendous resurgence in popularity in recent years. In certain parts of the country, bar attendants wear customer IDs to make sure cups are not taken. Today, these mugs have an ultra-sleek modern look. Some have a smooth, shiny surface and others have a hammered copper look. They also come in different shapes like barrel shapes and drum shapes.
What are these mule cups made of?
Most of today’s mugs have a copper silver exterior and are lacquered for a beautiful, long-lasting appearance. The interior can be coated with nickel, tin, or stainless steel. However, Moscow mule cups that are made from 100% copper are also available, but be prepared to spend more.
If you don’t consume alcoholic beverages, you can also use these cups with non-alcoholic beverages such as soda and lemon juice. Ginger beer, which is one of the ingredients in mules, has also seen a surge in popularity as more and more people embrace the Moscow mule mug trend.
If you’re wondering what makes the Moscow mule so special in copper mugs, you might need to try it yourself!