Gin Gin Mule
Gin, lime, mint and ginger beer — a Mojito and a Moscow Mule in one glass. Audrey Saunders's modern classic, and the drink that opened Pegu Club.
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.
Add the mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker and muddle gently.
Add the gin and the ginger beer, fill with ice, and shake briefly.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Saunders shakes the ginger beer in with everything, which is unusual; it integrates the ginger and loses a little fizz. Top with it instead if you prefer a fizzier drink.
- Muddle the mint gently. Bruised leaves give aroma; shredded ones give bitterness.
- A fiery ginger beer is the recipe. With a mild one, add a few slices of fresh ginger to the muddle.
Common mistakes
- Ginger ale. Too sweet and too mild.
- Over-muddling the mint into a green paste.
- Skipping the fine strain; mint fragments in the glass.
A few good questions.
What does a Gin-Gin Mule taste like?
A Mojito's mint and lime over a Mule's ginger heat, with gin's juniper underneath. Bright, spicy and refreshing.
Why is it called Gin-Gin?
Gin and ginger. Audrey Saunders liked the repetition.
Can I make it with vodka?
Then it is more or less a Moscow Mule with mint. The gin is the point.
What is Pegu Club?
Audrey Saunders's SoHo bar, opened in 2005 and closed in 2020, named for a colonial-era Burmese club and its gin cocktail. It was one of the most influential bars of the craft era.
Variations
- Moscow Mule — Vodka, lime and ginger beer.
- Mojito — Rum, lime, mint, sugar and soda.
- Southside — Gin, lime, sugar and mint.
- Dark and Stormy — Rum and ginger beer.
Where it comes from
2000 · New York City · Audrey Saunders · Pegu Club
Audrey Saunders created the Gin-Gin Mule around 2000 while working at Bemelmans Bar, as a way to bring Mojito and Mule drinkers over to gin, and it became the signature drink of Pegu Club, the bar she opened in SoHo in 2005 and which trained a generation of New York bartenders. The recipe shakes gin with lime, mint and simple syrup, then tops it with a spicy house-made ginger beer. It is one of the few drinks of the craft era to become a standard outside it, and it still sells on the strength of the name.
Sources
- Audrey Saunders, Pegu Club recipes, 2005 (interview)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Robert Simonson, Modern Classic Cocktails, 2022 (book)
Strength. About 1.28 US standard drinks at an estimated 13.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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