Make My Mule a Mexican, Please

The ice cold Moscow Mule is suddenly pretty hot. 

Traditionally served in beautiful copper mugs, the vodka and ginger beer-based cocktail has become a new favorite libation across the U.S. 

This is evidenced, in part, by the rows of shiny copper mugs hanging behind the finest bars at hotels and restaurants everywhere. More notoriously, it’s evidenced by the increasing number of news stories about the same mugs, ahem, “walking away”  with happy customers. As reported by Texas Monthly, the problem of pilfered Moscow Mule mugs became so prevalent for one Dallas bar that it had to hold an amnesty night: return their mug, no questions asked, and get a free drink. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to steal in order to claim your own beautiful copper mug. And when the time comes for you to make your own Mule cocktail at home, we suggest you try one of these three “Texas” versions of the drink: the Mexican Mule, the Texas Mule, or the Mezcal Mule. All three are served in copper mugs, and include ginger beer and lime as staple ingredients.

Here are the recipes to get you started, beginning with the traditional Moscow Mule, for reference. 

The Traditional Moscow Mule

Ice
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. lime juice
4 oz. ginger beer

Fill your copper mug with ice, add the vodka, then lime, and top off with the ginger beer.  Garnish with a lime wheel. 

The Mexican Mule

What makes a Mule “Mexican” is substituting the vodka with tequila. Otherwise, the recipe is essentially the same as its “Russian” counterpart: 

Ice
2 oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
4 oz. ginger beer

Fill your copper Mule mug with ice, then add the tequila, lime juice, and finish with the ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel. Feel free to adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your taste; some prefer a little more lime, and others prefer a little more tequila (careful, now!). 

By definition, tequila only comes from Mexico. If you’re interested in having more of a Texas connection to your tequila, however, consider trying one of the following Mexican-made tequilas by Texas-based brands: 

512 Tequila (Austin, TX)
Ambhar Tequila (The Woodlands, TX)
Dulce Vida Tequila (Austin, TX)
El Gran Jubileo (La Grange, TX)
Republic Tequila (Austin, TX)
Toro de Lidia (Laredo TX)
Z Tequila (Austin, TX)

And to make your Mexican Mule even more Texan, we recommend you substitute your tequila with Railean El Perico, an excellent agave-based spirit that’s like tequila, but is Made in USA Certified by San Leon-based Railean Distillers.  

The Texas Mule

The Texas Mule is characterized by use of a Texas-based vodka (see our list below), simple syrup, and muddled fresh jalapeño. 

Ice
2 oz. Texas vodka
1 teaspoon simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice
Fresh muddle jalapeño
4 oz. ginger beer

Fill your copper mug with ice. Muddle the fresh jalapeño in a mixing glass and add the vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice. Shake with ice, then strain over ice into the copper mug. Top off with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and a slice of jalapeño. 

For your Texas Mule, try one of these Texas-based vodkas: 

1876 Vodka (Austin, TX)
Cinco Vodka (San Antonio, TX)
Deep Eddy Vodka (Austin, TX)
Dripping Springs Vodka (Austin, TX)
Enchanted Rock Vodka (San Antonio, TX)
Smith’s Premium Vodka (Smithville, TX) (Authentically Texas farm-to-bottle)
Savvy Vodka (Austin, TX)
Starlite Vodka (Austin, TX)
Tito’s Handmade Vodka (Austin, TX)

The Mezcal Mule

The Mezcal Mule is similar to a Mexican Mule, but instead of tequila it calls for mezcal, the smokier agave-based cousin of tequila. We recommend Texas-based Wahaka Mezcal.

- N4SJ