Moscow Mules: A Ginger Beer Comparison

A few months back, a happy hour date ended up at quaint little bar in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.  There, I had my first Moscow Mule: a flavorful yet light drink made up of vodka, ginger beer, simple syrup, and lime.  While I rarely find a vodka drink that I don't like, I particularly loved the ginger spice in this mix.  In fact, I loved it so much, that I set out to find the best ginger beer in my town to make this new fave at home.

Even though I just learned of this cocktail, the story of the Moscow Mule goes all the way back to 1939.  It is believed to have been the brain child of John Martin, a then new owner of the Smirnoff brand vodka.  While gin was preferred in the United States at the time, Martin promoted the Moscow Mule to get the word out about how versatile vodka was.  Now as you know, history has a tendency to rewrite itself, but Martin maintained that this cocktail was indeed an invention by him and his good friend Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock'n'Bull pub, which had a house brand of ginger beer.  It wasn't long for the Moscow part of the moniker to cause a bit of controversy.  While the recipe stayed the same, Smirnoff Mule became the stand in name to reference this quencher by.

For my comparison, I picked up five different ginger beers from my local boutique grocery store.  Usually a free pouring mixologist, I made sure to make each Mule the same way:  1oz of Ketel One vodka, 3oz of ginger beer, and one lime wedge.  I decided to skip on the simple syrup.  After all, a lady has to watch her figure.  Noting the aroma, color, and taste, I gave each mix a rating out of 5, with five being the highest.
1.  Rachel's Ginger Beer
This first ginger beer poured lighter in color than I expected.  The aroma was also faint.  But when I took a drink, it went from being a bit tangy in the front to having a pleasurable ginger zing in the back.  Rating: 3
2.  Fentiman's
The aroma was botanical, like that of a sachet.  On first sip, the taste of drinking a medicinal syrup overpowered my mouth.  I had to dump it out.  Poor Ketel.  Rating: 1
3.  Cock'n'Bull
The original ginger beer to make a Moscow Mule had to be the best, right?  The color was deep and rusty.  Refreshing aroma greeted my nose, almost like that of a light Pepsi cola.  The taste? Like I was drinking a dirty ginger root.  I could have drank it if I had to.  But I didn't have to.  Down the drain it went.  Rating: 2
4.  Bundaberg
First of all, I loved the packaging.  I know, that sounds like I follow a football team based off of their uniforms.  But in a market saturated with trendy sodas, Bundaberg's team got it right.  The clean aroma had a gentle ginger taste.  It almost had a creamy texture and there wasn't a harsh medicinal after burn.  I had to finish this bottle.  Rating: 4
5.  Ginger People
This was the final cocktail of the night.  After seeing too many sacrificial dumps of my precious Ketel, I crossed my fingers for this one to make it.  Unfortunately, I spoke too soon.  The spicy aroma had me hopeful.  But, as soon as it touched my lips, it was as if I was drinking the disinfectant I was forced to scrub desks with back in private school  Needless to say, this was a dumper.  Rating: 1

But fellow imbibers, don't take my word for it.  Pick up some artisan sodas, a fifth of your favorite vodka, and have your own tasting party.  And yes, a tasting party of one is totally acceptable.