Why you should make a Moscow Mule at your nearest convenience.

I'm starting this website off with one of the most congenial cocktails I've tasted. If someone I don't know well asks for my recommendation, or if a friend says they don't know what they want, I'll be reliably walking back to the table with two Moscow Mules in copper mugs. 

Not only is the Moscow Mule a universally enjoyable drink, it's Gin and Tonic level simple. If you can't be bothered with jiggers or fresh ingredients, the Moscow Mule is the drink for you. Of course, I like to pretty it up with fresh mint, lime and a copper mug (Jim Meehan even makes ginger ale from scratch), but if it's not one of those days. This isn't the sort of cocktail that will begrudge you for your head being elsewhere. It also works well with a variety of Vodkas. Today we're showing some love to 666, a Tasmanian Vodka cut with Cape Grim Rainwater. Other favourites include Ketel One, and the West Perth based Hippocampus- which may well be the best Vodka I've ever tasted. 

The story of how the Moscow Mule came to be is quite hilarious. A newly minted proprietor of ginger beer, John "Jack" Morgan sat down with a liquor distributor and the president of Smirnoff. Surprising absolutely nobody, the three decided to pair Jack's ginger beer with Smirnoff Vodka and a sqeeze of lemon juice. It was then -his head still reeling from his genius- that Jack remembered he had a girlfriend who had recently been willed a copper factory. She was invited along, and soon they had a great drink with a distinctive drinking vessel.

As often as not I'm not particularly fussy when making Moscow Mules. I fill the ginger beer to the brim and as I finish the drink I top it up with whatever's left. I often quarter a lime, squeezing one quarter into the drink and using another as a garnish. But for those who like to get their ratios right, here's a recipe:

The Moscow Mule

1.5oz Vodka
4oz Ginger Beer
0.75oz Lime Juice

Build in a mug filled with (preferably crushed) ice. Garnish with mint and a lime wedge.