5 Item Mexican Mule (Moscow Mule Cinco de Mayo Style)
A Mexican Moscow Mule?
On Cinco de Mayo I made a refreshing cocktail and Nel asked if I could show his audience how to make it. We recorded a quick YouTube video and I called it a Mexican Moscow Mule, but I stand corrected. It makes no sense to call it Mexican and Russian at the same time, right? So, it’s called a “Mexican Mule!”
A Proud Father
Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. I’m NelSazon’s Dad, Mel. My son Nel is a serious foodie and he loves to cook, as you may already know. Ever since Nel was about 7 years old he would watch me grill during barbecues and he would always ask to help. He even started taking notes as he got older.
This kid has the work ethic and necessary discipline to be a success in the field of cooking. He is eager to go to any cooking class available to him. He loves going to foodie events. He’s begged to start a YouTube channel for years. He never gave up asking. Finally, my wife and I allowed him to start filming his cooking at age 13. Once he uploaded his first video his interest in sharing recipes with the world quadrupled! I’m a very proud Dad.
Adult Audiences Only!
So, back to the Mexican Mule. This is for adult audiences so kids, only allow your parents to try this at home! The Mexican Mule can be enjoyed all year round, but I came up with this concoction on Cinco de Mayo. I mean, what’s Cinco de Mayo without tequila? Forget a margarita. Well, maybe not forget, but try a more chic tequila drink. There are only 5 items you’ll need so this recipe and the prep is quite easy.
As a fan of the famous Moscow Mule which uses vodka and ginger beer, the Mexican Mule replaces vodka with tequila. There are plenty of variations of the Moscow mule, but I have to say this is at the top of my list of mule drinks. The Mexican Mule is such a refreshing drink. We live in Florida and it’s hot most of the year and a cooling lime infused cocktail like this is perfect on hot humid days.
My recommendation is to use a reposado style tequila. Reposado tequila is perfect for mixed drinks. It is aged for 2 months to a year in white oak. The flavor of blue agave and slight aging gives this tequila a more mellow, rounded flavor.
A Short History Lesson
In this recipe I used Herradura Reposado Tequila. Herradura is actually aged for 11 months in oak barrels. A little history lesson: It is the first reposado tequila invented in 1870. Herradura is made in a place called Hacianda San Joe del Refugio. According to herradura.com, this is the last tequila-producing Hacienda on the planet. What’s a Hacienda? They are profit-making large estates built in the 18th or 19th century. The owner of the hacienda’s were called hecendado or patrón. Now, if you have a favorite tequila like Patrón, by all means use what you like best in the Mexican Mule.
Not All Ginger Beer Is the Same
In case you’ve never had one before, ginger beer is not “beer” at all. It’s actually a soda. It’s very close to ginger ale except the ginger is a lot stronger. There are certain ginger beer brands that are so strong I can’t even drink them.
My wife is a huge fan of strong ginger beer, however she grew up drinking ginger tea when she was sick as a child. It’s an old Filipino remedy. Ginger beer is quite popular in Jamaica and the Caribbean Islands. It used to be that we could only find ginger beer in specialty Caribbean grocery stores. With the resurgence of the Moscow Mule, ginger beer has become quite the popular mixer.
Some ginger beer brands are very sweet to counteract the harshness of the ginger. I don’t like drinks with too much sugar content, so I found a brand that I enjoy; Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. It’s lower in sugar and has a softer “bite” than cheaper versions of ginger beer you may find in the grocery store. The ginger comes from 3 areas of Nigeria and the ivory coast making this ginger beer somewhat special. Fever Tree’s Website actually boasts that this drink has a long lasting “ginger character,” is award winning and is perfect for a Moscow Mule. I’d say it’s perfect for any mule drink.
Only 5 items Needed!
Oh and what are the 5 items to make a Mexican Mule? It’s simple:
- Copper Mug
- Ice
- Reposado Tequila
- Ginger Beer
- Lime
Well, it’s an honor to guest write for my son’s blog. I hope his “adult” readers can enjoy this one of a kind cocktail. I also hope that I’ll get a chance to share more adult libations with you in the future.
Mexcan Mule
Ingredients
- 1 Copper Mug You can use any glass if you don't have a copper mule mug
- 1 Cup Ice Crushed is best
- 1 Lime 1/2 lime for the drink and the rest for garnish
- 1 Bottle/Can Ginger Beer
- 2 Oz Reposado Tequila You can use your favorite tequila, but reposado aged is recommended
Instructions
- Fill Copper Mug with Ice
- Por Tequila into Mug
- Squeeze 1/2 Lime into Mug
- Pour Ginger Beer into the Mug until filled to top
- Garnish Mug with lime wedge or round slice
Notes
Enjoy!
Hello Melvin, I love your blog! I was feeling stuck at learning to cook Mexican and I’m glad I came across your post today. This is very helpful and at the same time new and kind of challenging to me as I have only been learning to cook Asian cuisines. Thanks again I hope this will work out for my fancy family gathering dinner next week that I am going to prepare for. Cheers!
Well, I don’t know if this qualifies as cooking a Mexican dish since it’s just a 3 ingredient cocktail that only calls for 5 items total (the ice and mug). However, it can be a way to “dip your toe” in Mexican flavors with the Reposado Tequila! Enjoy!
This got me curious as to what really is the taste for this unique kind of beer!
Maybe it’s a combination of bitter in taste and at the same time spicy since Ginger tastes like spices. Since I’m from the Philippines, I wonder where can I buy these beer? I hope this is available in beer and wine racks of 7-Eleven stores here. These stores are international, right? So, there must be a stock of these awesome beer.
I also like to try the Mexican Mule recipe. Let’s see how will it turn out.
Hi, Well as discussed in the article, Ginger Beer isn’t beer at all. It’s soda.
You should be able to buy it in the Philippines, but you can actually buy it online if you can’t find a grocery store that carries ginger beer. It would be in the soda section and now that a lot of people use ginger beer in cocktails, you can sometimes find ginger beer in the same area you would find mixers for margaritas and bloody mary’s. You’ll definitely find it in liquor stores. Again, there is no alcohol in ginger beer because there is no alcohol in it. I hope you find the ginger beer and make this refreshing Mexican Mule! Enjoy!
I have a Caribbean friend who always express the pleasure that is stocked inside ginger beer. And as a foodie like myself, am looking forward to have a taste with the beer. Now this is Mexican Mule what drink can a foodie not taste. I love fun because Life itself is fun. Why can’t we explore as many food and drink we can before nature curbs us. This is an amazing and yet a superb drink with few ingredients. Thanks for this recipe for a Mexican mule.