How the Moscow Mule Changed Cocktail Culture

In the age of the Cosmopolitan and Green Apple-tini, it’s hard to imagine a time when vodka cocktails didn’t enjoy the popularity they do today. Yet these delectable drinks weren’t really popular until the late 1940s and 1950s. The Moscow Mule, a cocktail created for a Smirnoff promotion, helped fuel this change in drinks culture.

In 1941, John Martin, president of Heublein and Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock'n'Bull bar in Hollywood, met in a bar in Los Angeles. Together they mixed Morgan's ginger beer with Smirnoff and lime and christened it the Moscow Mule.  They ordered specially engraved copper mugs and Martin set off to market the cocktail in bars around the country.

He bought one of the first Polaroid cameras and asked barmen to pose with a Moscow Mule copper mug and a bottle of Smirnoff. Then he would leave one copy of the photo at the bar and take a second copy to the bar next door to show them that their competitors were selling the Moscow Mule.

Between 1947 and 1950 Smirnoff case columns more than tripled and nearly doubled in 1951. It was the start of a long period of success. Smirnoff promoted a variety of cocktails, which all used the mixability of Smirnoff cocktails.

Smirnoff Moscow Mule

1.5 oz. Smirnoff vodka
3 oz. ginger beer
1 tsp. simple syrup
¼ oz. lime juice
1 sprig mint
1 slice lime

In a glass with ice, add vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice.

Edited by Patricia D. Sherman

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