The story of how the Moscow Mule came to be is the stuff of lore. It was 1941 and John Martin had just completed his company’s purchase of Smirnoff Vodka. Martin was in a bit of a bind with his new acquisition because vodka was not widely known and even less widely consumed by the American public. So there he was, sitting in the Cock ‘n’ Bull restaurant/bar in Los Angeles talking to his friend, the bar’s owner Jack Morgan. He told Morgan of his concerns and of his desire to create a new vodka based cocktail to spur sales of his Smirnoff product. Morgan had his own dilemma in that his ginger beer was going nowhere. Sometime during this conversation a light went off over one of their heads (exactly whose is debated) and the Moscow Mule was born by combining the two products.

Finding a Home for the Mule

Now that they had their drink Martin felt he needed a marketing hook he could use to promote it as he moved about the country in the performance of his job. Morgan, as it turns out, had a lady friend who just so happened to work for a manufacturer of copper mugs. Martin leapt at the idea of serving the new drink in copper and the Mule found a home. Today serving a Moscow Mule or any of its numerous variations in anything other than a beautiful copper mug from Paykoc Imports just seems, well, unnatural.

The Copper Mug Refuses to be Pigeonholed

While the Moscow Mule had found a home in the copper mug the copper mug was not about to be tied down to any single cocktail and over the years it has come to be associated with, or at least commonly used to serve, a variety of different drinks. Those include:

• The Margarita - The Margarita is typically served on the rocks or blended with ice which makes it a perfect candidate to be served in a copper mug that will help keep it cool. Even though the Margarita already has its own eponymous “margarita glass” copper Moscow Mule mugs are becoming an increasingly popular way to serve this tequila-based cocktail.
• The Mint Julep - This classic drink is also closely associated with copper drinking vessels though they typically take cup form. The julep is a bourbon-based drink that you hear about a lot come Kentucky Derby time each year.
• Screw Driver - This vodka and orange juice classic is another drink that insists on being served on ice which, of course, makes it an ideal candidate for the cold-retention properties of the copper mug.
• Rum Punch - This mixture of rum, grenadine, lemon, lime and assorted other ingredients (depending on who is doing the mixing) is another drink best served cold which, you guessed it, makes is a good candidate to be served in a copper mug.
• The Greyhound - Exactly how this drink got its name is open to debate but the fact is it’s another one of those cocktails that’s served on ice (are you seeing a trend here?). If you line the rim of the copper Moscow Mule mugs with salt you’ve created a “salty dog”, also well-served in a copper mug.
• Dark and Stormy - The Dark and Stormy is centered around the use of rum and ginger beer. It’s very similar to the Moscow Mule except that you’re using rum instead of vodka. Once again however the thing that makes it a candidate for the copper mug is the fact that it’s served, you guessed it, on ice.

Copper mugs are beautiful but refuse to be pinned down to any one drink, even one with the growing cultural panache of the Moscow Mule and its variants. Instead they’ve become the go-to vessel for a number of different cocktails over the years and their use continues to grow. Paykoc imports offers copper cups and mugs in a variety of different styles so there’s sure to be one that will be a good match for your decor. We also offer customization on many of our mugs. And don’t forget there’s no rule that states they have to only be used for adult drinks. Fresh fruit juices, smoothies and shakes also feel right at home in a beautiful copper cups.