In my last post about my "go to" drinks I mentioned the Moscow Mule. This is a great tasting drink, but it's widespread popularity is likely due to that copper mug it's served in.
Despite the beauty of some of my drinkable creations, none of them start a chain reaction among bar patrons quite like the copper mug of the Mule. It's pretty much a guarantee that once I make and send one out into the dining room I'm going to receive multiple Moscow Mule requests in minutes.
Where did this drink come from? Why the copper mug? In researching this I found variations of the same story, with different people or names, different companies, and different bars. The consistent part of the tale goes like this:
A man who owns a ginger beer company is sitting in a bar next to the owner of a vodka company. The two men trade stories and in no time a collaborative drink recipe buzzes in the air. The bartender brings over a copper mug and some lime, and voila! Three men give birth to a Moscow Mule. Then marketing comes into play and movie stars are sipping out of copper mugs on billboards and magazines alike.
Now I can't verify that tale is true, but I can testify that the Moscow Mule glassware - or I guess I should say copper-ware - is as important as the ingredients themselves. Most cocktails have a glass they are properly served in and reasons for that particular glass. It's not everyday you encounter a recipe that will taste different when the only variable is the vessel. But the Mule by any other glass just isn't the same. I admit this is possibly, at least partially, a trick my mind is playing on my mouth. Let's be honest, the copper mugs look cool and you look cooler holding it. Now your boss like the bees knees, hip like slinky whistle bait. Even brand new ones look like they came right off the shelf of a Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Not only do the copper mugs look cool, they are cool. This part is no mind trick. The copper insulates the drink from your hand so the ice melts slower and ingredients are colder and for longer than they would be in glass. The mug takes the temperature of the ice almost immediately so the vodka and ginger beer is chilled from the outside by the copper and from the inside by the ice. The temperature definitely effects flavor - the colder the vodka, the smoother it tastes. When the metal touches your lips it has a bit of a tinny earthy flavor that compliments and adds complexity to the nose and taste of the booze, sugar, and spice ... making it oh so nice. Come on out and get ya one tonight!
Joanna Bellomy is bar manager at Jack Mac's Swill and Grill, a great lil Dallas pub specializing in house-made infusions, Texas craft beer, liquor, and wine.
