What’s old is new again and that’s certainly true with the sudden popularity of the Moscow Mule Mug.
A cocktail dating back to the 1940s, the Moscow Mule is traditionally made with vodka, ginger beer and lime juice. Legend has it that the drink was created when John Martin, owner of Smirnoff Vodka, Jack Morgan, owner of the “Cock and Bull” pub and Sophie Berezinksi, the daughter of a Russian copper factory owner all pooled together to get rid of inventory that they could not get rid of. Vodka was not popular at the time and Martin was experimenting with different mixers to try to sell more of it. When Morgan had an abundance of ginger beer that didn’t sell, Martin decided to mix it with the vodka. Enter Berezinski, who had a bunch of copper mugs that her husband was urging her get rid of and you have the Moscow Mule!
Though not its original intention, the copper mug turned out to have a bevy (no pun intended) of benefits. According to the website homewetbar.com, one of the best things about sipping a moscow mule from a copper mug is the controlled temperature. Basically, it keeps your drink cold, even in the heat. Additionally, some say that the oxidation of the copper mixes with the lime juice to intensify the taste of the drink.
Though the drink was invented over 70 years ago, the NY Times reports a huge resurgence in popularity within the past few years. Moscow Mules were options on drink menus more than 60% more in 2015 than 2014 and accounted for 7% of all cocktail orders. No doubt the copper mug had something to do with this! In fact in some bars, patrons who order a Moscow Mule have to give their ID to the bartender as collateral to insure they won’t walk off with the mug.
Though back in the 1940s, the copper mugs were hard to come by, now they’re much more ubiquitous and you can even get them imprinted with your company logo.
And if you’re not a drinker – no worries – the Moscow Mule mug is still a winner and here’s why: Many purveyors of the holistic practice of Ayurveda (a form of alternative medicine that’s based on mind-body awareness) believe that drinking water out of a copper cup can help with all sorts of health benefits including enhanced digestion, thyroid regulation and reducing inflammation.
No matter what you’re sipping, there’s no doubt that the Moscow Mule Mug is and continues to be one of the hottest (errr….coldest?) drinkware trends of the past year.