How the classic Moscow Mule got its name and copper mugs
It's National Vodka Day! Yes, there is, in fact, a National Vodka Day, so let's take this opportunity to celebrate it with the very best ingredients.
Then Moscow Mule is such a great cocktail. (Get the kit here with mugs, ginger syrup, and recipe cards)A few simple ingredients and you have a refreshing cocktail that has broad appeal. Combine it with copper mugs and it's eye-catching!
It seems like so many iconic drinks started out as a marketing campaign. Most accounts have a John G. Martin buying the rights to the Russian Smirnoff brand in the late 1930s only to find that vodka was not the drink of choice. The Second World War was yet to burst upon the world, but the memories of WWI and the Russian Revolution were still fresh. The story goes (and this coincidence is perhaps a bit of a stretch) that Martin was discussing his issue getting vodka sales moving with two friends, one with a similar problem with ginger ale and one with copper mugs. This is just a crazy enough combination to possibly be true. The three set about solving this business problem by combining their respective products into a newly manufactured drink - the Moscow Mule. Just as I can personally attest (as an Australian) that the "blooming onion" only exists at Outback Steakhouse and nowhere in Australia, the Moscow Mule was a marketing creation and not the historic drink of Cossack warriors.
Nevertheless, what was handed down since the 1930s has become a favorite. The drink has been made with ginger ale, but we've found that by using our Ginger Syrup you can better control the flavor.
Enjoy responsibly - give as a gift generously!
Recipe - Grilled Fruit Kebabs with Ginger Syrup
A selection of your favorite summer fruits - strawberries, pineapple, peaches, grapes work well - drizzled with Verdant Kitchen® Ginger Syrup and grilled. An easy side dish or dessert that's sure to add some healthy flair to your picnic or barbecue!
Download the Recipe
Ingredients:
- Fresh fruit - 3-4 of your favorites such as strawberries, pineapple, peaches, grapes.
- Verdant Kitchen Ginger Syrup - 1 tbsp.
- Wooden skewers - soaked in water for 20-30 minutes.
Details
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Servings: 4
Preparation:
- Prepare fruit, cutting larger pieces into 1-inch cubes.
- Thread the fruit on the skewers.
- Drizzle the fruit with Verdant Kitchen® Ginger Syrup and place the skewers on the grill.
- Grill, turning once, until marks appear, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.
Verdant Kitchen® products used in this recipe
When Harry Met Meghan - a toast to Gingers everywhere.
When Harry met Meghan - Verdant Kitchen® style
- Verdant Kitchen® Ginger Syrup - 11.3 oz bottle
- Dark Rum from any of the colonies (we used Bundaberg Rum as we have much Friday afternoon research and development experience with this Aussie elixir) - 12 oz
- Soda Water (seltzer) from your antique soda fountain, or 2 x 2-liter bottles of $0.99 soda from your closest grocery
- A good-sized bucket of ice freshly chipped from the purest clear block, or a bag from the closest gas station
- 2 oranges sliced and arranged around the edges of the punch bowl and one for each glass
- Serve in your finest Waterford crystal or IKEA tumbler
Be calm, sip your drink, toast the happy couple and think of England!
Products in this recipe:
Kentucky Derby - The History of the Mint Julep & Our Ginger Twist on This Classic
Like all iconic drinks, the Mint Julep has a long and storied history. In the 1700s, British explorers made a habit of mixing the fermented spirits of any indigenous sweet crop with botanicals. They probably went about this for two reasons 1) alcohol as rum or port wine had long been the currency of the open oceans and 2) A spoonful of these test concoctions helped the mostly bitter and nasty medicines of the day go down. The results of these experiments has ecoched down the years with famous outcomes like the juniper berry-infused gin and the rum and ginger-based Dark n' Stormy. From those same experiments came the Mint Julep.
The English were not only good explorers, they documented their discoveries well. Whoever writes down history, owns it and so whatever the actual genesis of this drink, the written record is English. The word "julep" is possibly a Spanish/Arabic expansion of “julepe” or rosewater. It also appears that the word is associated with a sweet drink and as a vehicle for medicine. The rosewater connection is not totally clear, but sweet alcoholic mixtures as a medicinal carrier fits and by the 1700s there are references to mint julep as an emetic (see our recent blog on Motion Sickness) and references to the citizens of Virginia sipping on this “spirituous liquor.”
By the 1800s, the British seafaring captain Frederick Marryat’s writs of his favorite recipe for a Mint Julep with mint, sugar and peach brandy over ice with the rim of the glass rubbed with pineapple (this actually sounds delicious). It would seem that Mint Juleps were more a class of drinks based on sugar and mint with a spirit from brandy to gin. But eventually the good folk of Virginia and Kentucky helped make Bourbon the dram of choice and the Mint Julep became an iconic American drink.
By 1938 Kentucky had established deep strength in horses and bourbon. In a great piece of marketing, the Brown-Forman Corporation, a strong spirit distributor, got together with the Churchill Downs horse track and the Mint Julep became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. The story of how silver or pewter cups came to be used also has many versions.
Today most Mint Juleps are served in a highball glass or tumbler. The rest they say is a combination of big smiles, bigger hats, happy time, late nights and shaky next mornings. We think there's still room for this iconic drink to evolve. Our Ginger Syrup is the perfect next step. Slow-steeped organic ginger, organic molasses, organic raw cane sugar and lemons with bourbon and fresh mint have layers of flavor. Smoky, sweet, warm, fresh and delicious. It's available in party-sized 45 oz, 11.3 oz hip flasks and the perfect picnic size for 2-4 drinks.
