Virgin Moscow Mule
Ginger beer, lime and mint over ice in a copper mug. The Moscow Mule without the vodka, which is to say a very good ginger beer and lime.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a copper mug or highball with ice.
Add the lime juice and, if using, the syrup and the mint leaves.
Top with cold ginger beer and stir gently once.
Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
A thoughtful finish
- The ginger beer is the whole drink. A fiery, dry one — the kind with real ginger and a bite — makes a drink; a sweet, mild one makes a soda.
- Fresh lime, squeezed in. The wedge on the rim is a garnish, not the acid.
- A few slices of fresh ginger muddled in the mug first turns the heat up considerably.
Common mistakes
- Ginger ale. It is a different, sweeter, gentler drink with little ginger in it.
- Skipping the lime. Without acid it is just ginger beer in a nice mug.
- Adding sugar before tasting. Most ginger beers are already sweet.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Virgin Mule and ginger beer with lime?
Not much, and that is the point: the Mule was always mostly ginger beer and lime. The mint, the mug and the ice make it a drink rather than a soft drink.
Ginger beer or ginger ale?
Ginger beer. Ale is mild and sweet; beer is brewed with real ginger and has heat.
Can I use a non-alcoholic spirit?
Yes — an alcohol-free vodka-style spirit adds a little body, though it is the least noticeable swap in the mocktail world.
Why the copper mug?
Tradition and temperature. The copper gets cold fast and stays cold; it does nothing to the flavour.
Variations
- Moscow Mule — With vodka.
- Dark and Stormy — Dark rum and ginger beer.
- Virgin Mojito — Lime, mint, sugar and soda.
- Shirley Temple — Ginger ale and grenadine.
Where it comes from
c. 2000s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Moscow Mule of 1941 was a marketing drink — vodka, ginger beer and lime invented to sell all three — and the vodka is the least flavourful part of it, so leaving it out loses less than with almost any other cocktail. The alcohol-free version appeared on menus as the Mule revived in the 2000s and the copper mug became a fixture. Call it a Virgin Mule, a Ginger Mule or a Shirley Ginger; it is ginger beer and lime with the mug and the mint, and it is better than the sum of its parts.
Sources
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Julia Bainbridge, Good Drinks, 2020 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Virgin Mule, 2018 (reference)
A little character in every sip.
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