Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

Mezcal Mule

The Moscow Mule is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. Even those who typically don’t order mixed drinks have likely had one. But as with many classic cocktails, the standard blend of vodka, ginger beer and lime is ripe for experimentation, and over the years the original has spawned countless variations. The Mezcal Mule, as created by acclaimed bartender Jim Meehan, is hardly the first drink to try and reinvent this template, but it is one of the most successful.

It’s unclear when the first mezcal-based mule was served. Many bartenders had begun to swap around spirits in the classic Moscow Mule around the turn of the 21st century. Audrey Saunders created the Gin-Gin Mule at her New York bar Pegu Club, which was meant to act as a crossover drink intended to turn vodka drinkers on to gin. The Kentucky Mule subs bourbon for vodka, appealing to fans of brown spirits. But Meehan's Mezcal Mule takes the drink beyond it's original three-part template.

Mezcal Mule cocktail

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

First created by Meehan at PDT, the famed New York bar, this recipe includes a few flourishes. Mezcal, ginger beer and lime lead the way, as you’d expect. From there, Meehan calls on passion fruit purée to incorporate tart, tropical sweetness, and muddled cucumber for a fresh, aromatic accent. Cucumber and candied ginger are used for garnish (and potential snacks), while a dusting of chile powder adds a kick to each sip and helps to accentuate both the burn of the ginger and the alcohol.

The Mezcal Mule colors outside the classic vodka-based mule’s lines but still offers plenty of familiar flavors for fans of the original.

Ingredients

  • 3 cucumber slices

  • 1/2 ounce agave nectar

  • 1 1/2 ounces Sombra mezcal

  • 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

  • 3/4 ounce Boiron passion fruit puree

  • Ginger beer, chilled, to top

  • Garnish: cucumber slice

  • Garnish: candied ginger

  • Garnish: chile powder

Steps

  1. Add the cucumber slices and agave nectar to a shaker and muddle.

  2. Add the mezcal, lime juice and passion fruit puree to the shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled.

  3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

  4. Top with the ginger beer.

  5. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a piece of candied ginger, and top with a pinch of chile powder.