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Cocktail History
The Jamaican Mule is a modern cocktail that was created by Jelani Johnson at the Clover Club in New York City, New York. It’s considered a tiki take on the vodka-based classic Moscow Mule that swaps out the base spirit for rum, substitutes a house-made ginger syrup in place of ginger beer, and adds pineapple and bitters to complement the other flavors.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger, white sugar, gum arabic powder, and water. I made mine using this sous vide recipe.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. I used fresh pineapple juice.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
Candied Ginger: This is a slice of dried ginger root that has been rolled in sugar.
Lime Slice: This is a slice of lime that has been cut into a half wheel shape.
Orchid Blossom: This is the flower of an orchid plant.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. I used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. I used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lime and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. I used one from the Homestia Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
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Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Golden orange color
• Aroma: Ginger and spices
• Taste: Spicy rum and ginger flavor balanced by pineapple and citrus
• Finish: More ginger spice notes
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kendall’s Take: “This cocktail is tiki with an Asian kick! Ginger is definitely the most prevalent flavor, which to be honest had me wanting Asian food after a few sips. Overall, I found the Jamaican Mule to certainly be delicious and spicy and different, but I don’t see myself drinking it again. I think I still prefer the more traditional tiki cocktails made with a bit less ginger.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2025-06-30.
Jamaican Mule
The Jamaican Mule is a modern cocktail that was created by Jelani Johnson at the Clover Club in New York City, New York. It's considered a tiki take on the vodka-based classic Moscow Mule that swaps out the base spirit for rum, substitutes a house-made ginger syrup in place of ginger beer, and adds pineapple and bitters to complement the other flavors.
Ingredients
Method
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Add rum, ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a highball glass or tiki glass over fresh cracked ice.
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Garnish with candied ginger, lime wheel, and orchid blossom.
