What does a Moscow mule taste like?
A Moscow mule tastes spicy, fizzy and refreshing: vodka and lime topped with ginger beer, so it is a cold, gingery, lightly sweet highball with a zesty bite.
Moscow mule
ginger beer, lime and vodka
A Moscow mule is vodka, fresh lime and ginger beer, served over ice in a copper mug. Ginger beer is a spicier, less sweet cousin of ginger ale, and it does most of the talking here: zingy ginger heat that tingles at the back of your throat, a little sweetness and plenty of bubbles. The lime makes it tangy and the vodka stays quietly in the background. The copper mug keeps it extra cold. It's easy, refreshing and a little spicy, and how spicy depends a lot on the ginger beer brand.
Where you’ll see it
On almost every bar menu, in a copper mug with a lime wedge. Riffs swap the vodka: tequila or mezcal mules, Kentucky mules with bourbon, and seasonal fruit mules.
Order it if you want something fizzy, gingery and easy to drink.
Quick questions
- Why is a Moscow mule served in a copper mug?
- Mostly tradition and looks. Copper also feels extra cold in your hand, which suits a drink this icy.
- What's the difference between a Moscow mule and a Dark and Stormy?
- A Moscow mule uses vodka, so it is clean and limey. A Dark and Stormy uses dark rum, so it is richer, with molasses and caramel.