Mezcal Mule

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Cocktail History

The Mezcal Mule is a modern cocktail that was created in 2008 by Jim Meehan at PDT in New York City, New York. The recipe is based on the Moscow Mule template but is largely unrecognizable thanks to its base spirit of mezcal and omission of ginger beer in favor of a homemade ginger wort. It then adds in lime, passion fruit, and cucumber to balance out the spiciness and tops it all with a sprinkling of Tajín.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Mezcal: This is a spirit made in Mexico with fermented agave and yeast, which are distilled after roasting agave hearts in underground pits to develop a smoky, complex flavor.

Ginger Wort: This is an unfermented base made with ginger, water, and sugar, which are boiled or steeped to extract flavor before the fermentation or carbonation process.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe limes that has a zesty, sour flavor and light green color.

Passion Fruit Purée: This is a spread made with passion fruit pulp and sugar, which are blended into a thick, tropical-flavored condiment.

Agave Syrup: This is a sweetener made with agave plant sap that’s extracted, filtered, and heated to convert its sugars into a syrup with a mild, honey-like sweetness.

Cucumber Slices: This is a piece of cucumber that has been cut into a thin circular shape.

Candied Ginger: This is a type of confection made by cooking ginger root in sugar syrup, then applying a sugar coating and drying it to develop a chewy texture and sweet, spicy flavor.

Tajín: This is a Mexican spice made with peppers, lime, and salt.

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.

Muddler: This is used to muddle ingredients. I used the HQY Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler.

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.

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.

Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. I used one from the KingSeal Bamboo Knot Cocktail Pick Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Orange-yellow color

• Aroma: Verdant cucumber, fruit, and pepper

• Taste: Spiced mezcal-laced flavor cooled off by cucumber, passion fruit, and ginger

• Finish: Small touches of chile spice and citrus

Kendall’s Take: “This has to be the most interesting Moscow Mule I’ve tried yet, mostly because it doesn’t come across as one all that much due to there being no fizzy carbonation. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work though! It absolutely does. The ginger is still quite prominent but is delivered in a slightly different format than would be expected in a cocktail bearing its name. The mezcal is also there, but I didn’t find it overwhelming enough to inherently dislike the drink. I liked this a fair amount and could see myself trying it again when I’m feeling adventurous.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in the book Mezcal + Tequila Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for the Golden Age of Agave by Robert Simonson.