It’s quite funny how the universe works, isn’t it? Case in point, we were down in Arizona in March-April and my dear friend Theresa decided to introduce me to a Moscow Mule, a refreshing alcoholic bevy served in a classic copper mug. I had never had one before. It is made with ginger beer and vodka and lime juice, and it is very tasty and refreshing. Fast forward a couple of months, I’m minding my own business and to my surprise, I receive an unsolicited email from a Canadian company out west who imports and sells their very own, wait for it…Moscow Mule mugs! What a coincidence indeed! We spoke on the telephone and I suggested that I could do a post for them, focussing on a recipe that would be served in said mug. Of course, they sent me a couple of their mugs so I can post pics of the recipe in them. The mugs are beautifully hand-hammered by an artisan group in India, but most importantly, they are lined with nickel lining. Apparently, using mugs without nickel can cause a series of serious health issues (so if you have such mugs, check to make sure they have a non-reactive lining and you are not drinking directly from a copper mug). This blog post talks about the importance of nickel lining.
The Moscow Muled mugs are reasonably priced at $16.60 Canadian ($12.50 US) each and would make great hostess gifts or stocking stuffers during the holidays.
Moscow Mules were invented circa 1941 in LA in a British pub called Cock ‘n’ Bull by their head bartender, Wes Price. The story is quite interesting, so if you wish, you may read about it here.
Take the worry out of the mug, Moscow Muled mugs are made with “100% pure high-grade and food-safe copper with an inner layer of high-grade nickel.”* Plus they look awesome and will keep your bevy cool on hot summer nights! I knew I wanted to make the Authentic Ginger Beer recipe on their website, it’s relatively easy (just a bit of time) and you probably already have all of the ingredients at home. The only thing I did to this tasty recipe is half it (there are only two of us and it still made around 4 litres) and I converted it to weights instead of volumes.
Raise a Moscow Muled mug with this tasty and refreshing drink, Cheers guys.
I was gifted with two Moscow Muled Mugs for this post, the opinions listed are my own.
*moscowmuled.com
Moscow Muled Ginger Beer
Makes about 4 L of ginger beer.
For the original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients, Step 1 Ginger Bug:
- 250 mL water
- 15 g sugar
- 13 g freshly grated ginger
Directions:
- Combine the freshly grated ginger with the sugar and water in a glass jar.
- Stir until sugar has entirely dissolved with a non-reactive spoon, like a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- With a clean tea-towel, cover the glass jar and secure it with rubber bands and allow to sit at room temperature for a total of 5 to 7 days.
- During these 5-7 days, every day, add another 13 g of freshly grated ginger and 15 g of sugar and stir until dissolved. Cover the glass jar with a towel or cloth, and secure it with rubber bands.
- The mixture will form bubbles around 5-7 days and at 7 days, it should smell sharp with a strong yeast aroma.
Ingredients, Step 2 Ginger Beer:
- 85 g ginger root, peeled and grated
- 3.5 L of filtered water
- 2 g of sea salt
- 300 g sugar (white or brown, I used white because I wanted a clear ginger beer)
- 42 mL lemon juice
- 250 mL of ginger bug
Directions:
- on the 5th or 7th day, combine 2 L of water, ginger, sugar and salt in a large non-reactive pot, bring to a boil then allow it to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring periodically to steep the ginger.
- Remove from the heat and add the remaining water. Allow this liquid to cool completely. Once cool, use a very fine sieve to strain the ginger to make a clear liquid. Pour the ginger bug into the mixture (make sure that it is room temperature, about 23° C or 74° F, as you will kill the ginger bug if it is hot).
- Add the lemon juice and stir well.
- Pour into sterilized bottles, making sure they are only about 2/3 full because this ginger beer will actually ferment and produce carbon dioxide.
- Store bottles in a warm, dark place away from light and allow it to ferment for about 10 days. Carefully loosen caps from time to time to relieve the pressure from fermentation (I did this once per day).
- Refrigerate the ginger beer when it has reached your preferred level of sweetness. Refrigeration causes the fermentation to stall significantly. The longer the fermentation, the less sweet your ginger beer will be. We fermented our lot for 10 days and it produced a gingery, slightly carbonated beer that wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be.
Notes:
- I used recycled screw cap wine bottles, properly washed, rinsed and sanitized.
- Make sure you tighten the screw caps well so the ginger beer can ferment. Also, make sure you release the CO2 every day, by opening the bottles and allowing them to exhale, so the bottles don’t explode.
- Even after the ginger beer has fermented and is resting in the refrigerator, it contains a lot of effervescence, so be careful. Open bottles over the sink. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- I suspect there is some alcohol in the ginger beer I made, but I don’t know for certain.
A good home-made ginger beer is so worth it through the hot Summer! Yours looks a really goods one! Yum! The mugs are so cool too! 🙂
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I’ve seen Moscow mule on so many menus… and never tasted it! I haven’t even tasted ginger beer, so imagine how exotic and unusual your cocktail looks!
Since I love preserving, pickling and fermenting, I am particularly interested in your ginger bug & beer. It sounds fantastic!
Your cocktail is very creative and looks beautiful in these mugs! Very refreshing, perfect for this time of the year.
By the way, the reason why I’ve never wanted to buy any copper pan is that the lining is destroyed with time and “refurbishing” it costs really lots of money (copper pans cost a lot too of course) and it’s not easy to find artisans who do it for home cooks.
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Thanks for your comment Sissi. I hope you try the ginger bug and beer recipe.
I found out about the wear of the lining on a copper pan the hard way! JT bought me a beautiful little copper pan which lived on my stove (too pretty to store); I used it almost exclusively for toasted spices but occasionally for caramelizing nuts for salads. It was the latter that did it in! I found a company in eastern Canada who refurbished copper pots but even at its small size would have been over $100 (it was originally only $30) so I decided to replace it with a stainless steel pan. I do miss how pretty it looked on my stove.
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Wow, you really went to town with this. I’ve always wanted to make a fermented ginger beer, but it’s one of those things I just haven’t gotten to. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
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Thank you for your kind words, Jeff. It is definitely a lovely summer beverage.
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Ginger beer is very summery. I make mules quite often sometimes classic and sometimes based on other destinations. GREG
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Indeed, Greg, it makes a very summery beverage. The mugs are super cool too.
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I love those cups too! I almost bought some when I was in San Francisco but didn’t because I wasn’t sure how much use I’d get out of them. Your ginger beer looks great! 😀
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Thank you for your comment Lorraine, the mugs are super cute and are definitely not a one-trick pony. I think these folks ship overseas too!
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These sound fabulous! What a refreshing summer cocktail. And the mugs are gorgeous….thanks for the info about nickel, too.
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Who knew about the nickel, right Liz? Thank you for your comment.
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What a neat post! I’ve thought about making ginger beer, but have always concluded it’s much easier to buy it. 🙂 Bet yours tastes tons better than most of the commercial ones, though. Really fun read — thanks.
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There really isn’t a lot more to do than making bread, it’s just a lot of waiting around. Thank you for your comment.
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This is literally THE perfect summer drink!
Back when my tummy could handle bubbles, I would drink this all the time, it was soooo good!!
Great summer recipe Eva!!
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Thanks Dana, the bubbles are not as large as pop bubbles, so it doesn’t feel as effervescent, but it still provides a lovely zing and flavour.
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Fun post and I think the mugs are adorable. I think they’d be great for mulled wine at Xmas too with a stick of cinnamon and slices of orange in there. I’ll have to stick with the tasty Grace Island Soda ginger ale rather than making my own ginger beer however. 🙂
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Thanks for your comment Maria, the mulled wine is a great idea; love the sparkly mug for Christmas too!
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We had homemade ginger ale a few times while we were away on vacation this spring and I’ve been meaning to look up some recipes for it online. I like your recipe because it has alcohol in it for an added kick! Nice!
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Thank you for your comment Michela. I made ginger ale a few years ago, https://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/home-made-ginger-ale/ but it wasn’t fermented. I’m really not a pop person but this turned out nicely.
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Looks quite tasty! The mugs are pretty too.
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Thanks Angie, it was rather refreshing.
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