Mezcal Mule
Mezcal, lime and ginger beer over ice. The Moscow Mule with smoke — mezcal's agave and wood-smoke against spicy ginger, and the easiest way into mezcal for a mule drinker.
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 glass with ice.
Add the mezcal and lime juice.
Top with chilled ginger beer.
Stir once from the bottom and garnish with a lime wedge, and a cucumber slice if you like.
A thoughtful finish
- A spicy ginger beer stands up to the smoke; a sweet one gets lost.
- A pinch of chilli salt on the rim is the PDT touch.
- Half mezcal, half blanco tequila makes a gentler version.
Common mistakes
- Ginger ale, which is too sweet and mild.
- A heavily smoky mezcal at full pour for a first-timer; an espadín is the right place to start.
- Bottled lime juice.
A few good questions.
What does a Mezcal Mule taste like?
Spicy ginger and lime with agave sweetness and a drift of wood-smoke.
Which mezcal?
A joven espadín (Del Maguey Vida, Banhez, Montelobos) — enough smoke to notice, not enough to overwhelm.
What is in the PDT version?
Mezcal, passion fruit purée, cucumber, agave, lime and ginger beer with a chilli-salt rim.
Copper mug?
Tradition from the Moscow Mule; any tall glass works.
Variations
- Moscow Mule — Vodka, lime and ginger beer.
- Mexican Mule — Tequila, lime and ginger beer.
- Kentucky Mule — Bourbon, lime and ginger beer.
- El Diablo — Tequila, crème de cassis, lime and ginger beer.
Where it comes from
c. 2010 · New York
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Mezcal Mule came with mezcal’s American arrival around 2010, when every bar with Del Maguey on the shelf tried the spirit in the Moscow Mule’s build. Jim Meehan’s version at PDT in New York — mezcal with passion fruit, cucumber, ginger beer and a chilli-salt rim — is the famous one and gave the name currency, but the drink most bars make is simpler: mezcal, fresh lime and a good ginger beer over ice, with a lime wedge and perhaps a slice of cucumber or a pinch of chilli salt. Smoke and ginger are natural partners, and the mule’s format lets a strong, unfamiliar spirit come through in a drink everyone already knows how to order.
Sources
- Jim Meehan, The PDT Cocktail Book, 2011 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Mezcal Mule, 2014 (reference)
- Punch, Mezcal Mule, 2017 (reference)
Strength. About 1.5 US standard drinks at an estimated 12% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.