You’ve probably heard of the Moscow Mule. It’s a pretty simple cocktail recipe. All you need for a Moscow Mule is Vodka, Lime Juice, and Ginger Beer. It’s a simple but wonderful cocktail that’s increased in popularity in recent years.
But did you know there are other Mules out there? The term “Mule” isn’t unique to the Moscow variety! In fact, it refers to any cocktail that mixes Ginger Beer, Lime Juice, and a spirit. So basically, you can make a Mule out of anything! Sure, you can just use the same ratios as a Moscow Mule, except with different spirits, but it may be good to change things up slightly to compensate for the flavours given by a particular spirit. And that’s why we have plenty of Mule recipes available on this website!
To find these great cocktails, you can either keep reading, simply search for “Mule” or put all the spirits you have, plus Ginger Beer and Lime Juice into our cocktail builder; you’ll quickly find some great variations! Just a heads up, some Mules have a little bit more than the Ginger Beer and Lime Juice, so it’s well worth exploring.
And a final note on Mules before we go into some of our favourite recipes: you may see similar recipes sometimes called a Buck. For example, the Gin Buck. A Buck and a Mule are pretty much the same style of cocktail. It seems that Buck was the original name but, with the popularity of the Moscow Mule, the term “Mule” started getting used more often. Call it whatever you want!
Moscow Mule Variations
Since the Moscow Mule is probably the most popular, we’ll call these recipes variations on the Moscow Mule. But really, they’re really their own thing. Think about it however you want though!
Irish Mule
The Irish Mule is pretty much what it sounds like! It’s a Mule cocktail that uses Irish Whiskey instead of Vodka. It’s that simple. There really isn’t much different between the two cocktails. The Irish Whiskey makes things a little bit sweeter, which can be nice going up again a spicey Ginger Beer.
London Mule
If you like Gin, you’ll love the London Mule! This cocktail goes by a few names though. You may see it called simply a “Gin Mule” or even a Foghorn. Somewhere in our readings we’ve even seen the London Mule be called a “Munich Mule.” We think “London” is the best name for this Mule though. England is so well known for its love of Gin that everything goes together well here.
Mexican Mule
The Mexican Mule is a Mule cocktail that uses Tequila instead of Vodka. It also uses Triple Sec to give it a bit of a Margarita vibe. So, in a lot of ways, this recipe is a combination of a Margarita and a Moscow Mule. It’s very interesting and a lot of fun!
If you want to play with a Mexican vibe even further, you can also try the Mezcal Mule. This cocktail recipe pushes the Mule formula a little bit more with the addition of Passion Fruit Puree, Cucumber, and Agave Syrup. There’s certainly a lot going on here!
Kentucky Mule
Going back to Whiskey, but this time it’s Bourbon Whiskey! A Kentucky Mule is, as you probably guessed it, a Mule style cocktail made with Bourbon. While it wouldn’t strictly be a Kentucky Mule anymore, you can also try this recipe with Rye instead of Bourbon. All in all, the Rye variation makes it a little bit spicier but still very wonderful.
What’s Your Favourite?
We’ve only scraped the surface of Mule style cocktails. There’s just so much out there. Line these up and see what you like the best.
Yes, if may be hard to choose a favourite, but that’s also part of the fun of enjoying cocktails. You can make a different Mule for whatever your mood suits.
