Moscow mule

Learn how to make a Moscow Mule with this classic 3-ingredient recipe. Plus, tips on how to purchase Moscow Mule mugs and how to customize your drinks.

Well, we couldn’t go a week talking all about summer cocktail recipes without giving a nod to the infamous cocktail that stole a new generation’s hearts and somehow managed to convince all of us that a shiny set of copper mugs in our bar carts was now essential…

…the delightful, perfectly-refreshing, always-a-crowd-fave…Moscow Mule.

I’ve been a fan of the Moscow Mule (and even moreso, it’s whiskey-with-a-splash-of-bitters cousin, the Horsefeather) for years and years now. But especially so in the summertime. When served up in a chilly mug, with a good spicy ginger beer, a solid splash of lime, and ideally a side of good friends all gathered around a patio table, this cocktail is my idea of a lovely way to cool down on a warm evening. And in my experience hosting, it’s also proven to always be a hit.

That said, there are endless ways to customize your own Moscow mule recipe. So if you happen to be looking for some new spins on the classic, or recommendations for a new set of copper mugs to purchase (totally not necessary for this cocktail, though!), or just a solid classic Moscow Mule recipe to bookmark, I’ve gotcha covered today.

So grab your favorite ginger beer, and let’s get to mixing!

The BEST Moscow Mule Recipe | 1-Minute V >

Moscow Mule Ingredients:

So what is in a Moscow Mule recipe? Three easy ingredients. And as with any cocktail with such a short ingredient list, the quality of each of those three ingredients will make a notable difference in your cocktail. So avoid the cheapest options at the liquor store, and do some taste-testing to learn which Moscow Mule ingredients you love best.

To make a homemade Moscow Mule cocktail, you will need (affiliate links are included here):

• Ginger Beer: Everyone has a different opinion about which brand makes the best ginger beer for Moscow Mules, so go with whichever one you love most! ♡ I prefer my ginger beer to be minimally sweetened and as spicy as possible, so some of my personal favorites include:
  
  
  • Q Ginger Beer (available in many stores and on Amazon)
  
  
  • Fever Tree Ginger Beer (available in most stores and on Amazon)
  
  
  • Thomas Henry (available in Europe)
  
  
  
  


• Vodka: Quality is also important here, so try to avoid the cheapest bottle in the store. I would recommend Tito’s or Absolut vodka.


• Freshly-Squeezed Lime Juice: Key words: freshly-squeezed. Avoid the bottled lime juice and I promise you will taste the difference!

Also, you will need lots of ice per serving (crushed ice is traditional) plus garnishes, if you would like. I tend to just add my leftover lime wedge into the drink, plus maybe a sprig of mint if I happen to have some on hand.

Moscow Mule Mugs:

I’ve gotta say — I have been making Moscow Mules for a decade in normal (glass) cocktail glasses, and the drinks are just as delicious. But when we were stocking our new kitchen here in Barcelona, we decided to spring for a set of cute copper mugs for our Moscow Mules and Horsefeathers. And I will admit — they’ve made us ridiculously happy each time we’ve used them. They’re just so fun! And even though it’s been proven that the copper doesn’t really keep your drinks any cooler, those chilly handles and frosty mugs make a cold drink even more delightful in the summertime.

That said, there has been quite a bit of controversy this past year about the safety of 100% copper mugs. Some scientists have warned that lime and copper are a dangerous mixture, while others have said that “you’d have to drink from a copper cup every meal of every day for 25 years” to ingest a dangerous amount of copper. I opted for nickel-lined Moscow Mule mugs just in case. But if you would like to purchase nickel- or stainless-steel-lined Moscow Mule mugs of your own, here are a few specific options that I love:

How To Make A Moscow Mule:

It’s super easy to learn how to make a Moscow Mule cocktail. Simply…

1. Fill a glass or copper mug with ice. Crushed ice is traditional, but any kind will do.


2. Add vodka and lime juice. And feel free to toss the remaining squeezed lime into the glass/mug.


3. Add ginger beer. Fill to the top with ginger beer.


4. Stir and serve! Give your Moscow Mule drink a quick stir, and then serve!

Moscow Mule Variations:

Nowadays there are about a million cocktails that claim to be some variation of a “mule”. So feel free to get creative with your cocktails and see what you love best! Some ideas for variations could include:

• Changing the liquor:
  
  
  • Dark & Stormy : swap vodka for dark rum
  
  
  • Kentucky Mule : swap vodka for bourbon
  
  
  • Irish Mule : swap vodka for Irish whiskey
  
  
  • Glasgow/Scottish Mule : swap vodka for Scotch whiskey
  
  
  • Mexican Mule : swap vodka for tequila
  
  
  • Oaxacan Mule : swap vodka for mezcal
  
  
  • Gin Gin Mule : swap vodka for gin
  
  
  
  


• Adding fruit:
  
  
  • Muddling in juicy fruit, such as watermelon, berries, peaches, pineapple, apple, pear, cranberry, and/or grapefruit would be delicious.
  
  
  
  


• Adding veggies or herbs:
  
  
  • Muddling in veggies like cucumber, or herbs like basil, cilantro, sage or lavender would also be delicious.
  
  
  
  


• Adding heat:
  
  
  • I personally love adding a slice of jalapeño or serrano pepper to give my cocktails an extra kick.
  
  
  
  


• Adding bitters:
  
  
  • Bitters are not used in the classic Moscow Mule recipe, but I almost always add a few shakes to my own.
  
  
  
  


• Freeze it:
  
  
  • Joy The Baker has a tasty recipe for Frozen Moscow Mules that I’ve been wanting to try. Looks delicious.
  
  
  
  

More Classic Cocktail Recipes:

Looking for more summer cocktail recipe inspiration? Here are a few classics!

Mexican desserts

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Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream


• 1/2 cup frosted cornflakes, crushed


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

• Place four 1/2-cup scoops of ice cream on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.


• In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Roll ice cream in crumb mixture to coat. Freeze until serving. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon honey.

Nutrition Facts

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Reviews

Your suppose to deep fry for a few seconds. And you scoop ice cream then you freeze until really hard then deep fry for a few seconds and pull out with slotted spoon. Drizzle with honey and cover with whipped cream. Yum

Easy, fun and delicious! Served to a crowd of about 25 with ice cream toppings and whipped cream and it was a hit for our Mexican dinner!

I was expecting to find my favorite Mexican dessert but was disappointed that you left out the final step of deep frying it before the honey drizzle.

We loved this at my house! Everyone is always so shocked when they start eating it!

Fun idea for dessert. Everyone loved it from kids to adults! I did use 1/4 of cinnamon sugar already mixed and it was perfect.

So Good! This is an awesome recipe when you don't have time to bake. Perfect weekday dessert and for entertaining. I used 'no sugar added' vanilla ice cream and Truvia instead of sugar. Also, because I had no cornflakes, I crushed up some Frosted Cheerios. excellent! Thanks!!

I served this with sweetened sliced strawberries.

so easy and delicious

This has become a family favorite! It is super easy to make, and does taste exactly like what we get at our local Mexican restaurant. I also use smaller scoops, mainly because the topping is so good that we like to have a little bit in every bite! Kids request this often!

Taste just like the restaurant's version. I added a fried tortilla dipped in cinnamon and sugar placed underneath the ice-cream ball. Also added whipped cream and chocolate syrup. A very simple and delicious dessert. Thanks.

London broil marinade

A truly tender and juicy (and inexpensive!) grilled steak. The best london broil marinade.

Serving Size: 6

I hope this doesn’t piss off the London Broil Council (there is a council for everything, did you know that?), but up until now I have never understood why london broil was such a popular cut of meat. Rumor was that it was great grilled or broiled (really, as it should be, right?) or seared, but most of the time when making it I ended up with a tough steak, one that my family chewed politely for way too long. And sometimes not that politely.

But I wasn’t giving up, not when there were stacks of london broils in the market, and so attractively priced. The answer turned out to be a combo of tenderizing and marinating, and now I get it. And while the words “cheap steak” aren’t the ones I would ever use to describe this meal to my guests, I can have the pleasure of knowing that I saved some serious cash while making a big old steak dinner for family and friends.

How to Marinate London Broil:

Tenderizing the Meat:

A couple of things will help make london broil, an often tough cut of steak, more tender. You can use a traditional mallet-style meat tenderizer and give the steak a good pounding. Or you can try this funky little bladed meat tenderizer press (below) to get the meat ready for marinating, which makes hundreds of tiny cuts in the meat to soften the meat fibers and also allow the marinade to get right in there. So, not only does the process of tenderizing the meat do just that, but it also allows the flavors of the marinade to penetrate more deeply.

London Broil Marinade:

The acid in the marinade, in this case lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, also help to break down the tough fibers and make the steak more tender. The small amount of honey provides a touch of sweetness, and helps it caramelize on the grill, the soy sauce offers up savory, salty umami-ness, and the garlic provides…well garlickiness.

Marinating London Broil:

Place the meat in a container with the marinade and marinate the meat for about 6 hours in the fridge (you can marinate it for up to a day).

How to Grill London Broil:

How you cook this cut of meat is key. You want to keep your london broil rare for best results – overcooking it will result in a tough steak. Grill it over high heat for just 4 to 5 minutes per side, presuming it’s about 1 1/4 inches thick. That amount of time gets you to medium-rare, which is really how this steak should be cooked to achieve maximum tenderness. 125°F is the internal temperature you are looking for (make a small investment in a meat thermometer – you’ll be so glad you did!).

Let the Meat Rest:

Let the steak sit for 5 minutes to reabsorb juices and finished “cooking” off the fire – this post-heat resting stage is important for all meat, especially ones that need help in the tenderness department. Letting the steak rest for at least 5 minutes will absolutely affect the difference between a tough and a tender london broil.

Slice the Steak Against the Grain:

Unless you are shredding meat, you almost always want to cut it against the grain for maximum tenderness and juiciness, and it’s definitely true for london broil.

This is now definitely part of the regular summer rotation, and a very economical way to offer a grilled steak fest for a crowd.

Below, Gary and the Tramp. Or Cooper as he’s better known.

Marinated and grilled londoin broil is absolutely great served up with this Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing. Also, should you want to make this under the broiler, in a grill pan, or even in a panini press, it will work beautifully.

Marinated and Grilled London Broil

• Method: Grilling


• Prep Time: 15 minutes


• Cooking Time: 10 minutes

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• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


• 1 tablespoon soy sauce


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced


• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


• 1 pound London broil ( at least 1 inch thick, preferably 1 ½ inches thick)

1. In a container, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper (go lightly on the salt because of the soy sauce).

2. Tenderize the meat if possible (this is where I used the cool OXO gadget; if you wanted to pound it a bit or score it with a knife, or use another method of tenderizing please do).

3. Poured the marinade over the meat. Cover, and marinate the meat for 6 to 24 hours in the fridge.

4. Preheat a grill to high. Grill the steak for 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting it with the marinade left in the bowl or container.

5. Let it sit for 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices.

6. Slice on the diagonal and understand how London Broil can taste so good.

Or ask my dog. Gary and Cooper had their little Lady and the Tramp moment. I know; this is ridiculous. Sometimes we just need to be ridiculous.

Linguine with clam sauce

Linguine with fresh clams in a garlic white wine sauce (authentically known as linguine vongole) is one of those dinners that sounds totally chic and fancy but is actually one of the easiest and budget-friendly Italian pasta recipes you can make.

I was recently sent the new Fred’s at Barney’s New York Cookbook by Barney’s New York’s chef Mark Strausman who teaches us how to make some of the famous dishes beloved for years by celebrities and chic shoppers in the fashion store’s Fred’s restaurant.

Flipping through the cookbook there were tons of recipes that looked divine, but when I found this recipe for Mark’s Baby Clams and Spaghetti, fresh clams went directly on my shopping list.

Clams and spaghetti at Fred’s became clams and linguine at my house, and now no matter which pasta you choose to prepare, this recipe is on it’s way to yours.

Preparing Clams for Pasta

Best clams for pasta: Like every clam I eat, I like the small clams the best, preferably New Zealand cockles, Manila clams, or little neck clams. They’re sweeter than larger varieties. And while you can make surely it with canned clams, fresh baby clams in the shell are the way to go.

How to clean clams for pasta: There’s plenty of theories out there for cleaning clams with flour, baking soda, or cornmeal. But in my experience, really all you need is about 20 minutes and 3 or 4 rounds of fresh water, tossing the clams in the water after they sit for a few minutes to expel the sand if there is any.

Fresh clams that are both open and closed can be used for the sauce, but if the shells don’t open, toss them! They’re dead.

How to Make White Clam Sauce

This sauce couldn’t be easier to make for any level of cook. In fact, it’s pretty much a perfect starter for the beginning chef.

Use a good white wine for this recipe, Chef Mark suggests a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or a trebbiano and make sure it’s of good enough quality to drink.

Thinly sliced garlic and crushed red pepper give this pasta it’s signature flavor. Feel free to add more or less of the crushed red pepper depending on how much heat you can handle. Chef Mark calls for 1 teaspoon but I cut it down to 3/4 teaspoon and while I like spice, it was just the right for me.

One twist to this recipe you won’t find in many other linguine and clams is Mark’s addition of crushed tomato to it.

Chef Mark calls for canned crushed tomato, but I found one medium fresh tomato worked just great and I didn’t have to open an entire 15-ounce can to fulfill his 1/4 cup requirement.

The clams will slowly open a they cook, releasing flavor and their flavorful juice as they cook. The recipe calls for jarred clam juice to give an even more beautifully briny bite to this dish.

Be sure you cook your pasta just ’til al dente. Adding the pasta to the clam sauce as they cook infuses the sauce’s flavor into the pasta for an extra special bite.

Add These Recipes to Your Menu and Turn this Dinner Into a Meal

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

Lentil recipes

Meaty and vegetarian dishes with protein-packed storecupboard pulses.

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Beetroot & lentil tabbouleh

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Squash & lentil salad

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Sausage, roasted veg & Puy lentil one-pot

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Khatti dhal

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Roasted broccoli, Puy lentils & tahini yogurt

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Halloumi with lemony lentils, chickpeas & beets

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Beetroot, lentil, celeriac & hazelnut salad

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Whole baked ricotta with lentils & roasted cherry tomatoes

• 1 hour and 5 mins


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Spiced mushroom & lentil hotpot

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Jerk chicken & mango bowl

• 30 mins


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Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal

• 45 mins


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Lentil ragu with courgetti

• 55 mins


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Layered aubergine & lentil bake

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Chicken & lentil stew with gremolata

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Toasted quinoa, lentil & poached salmon salad

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Chicken with mustard lentils

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Red lentil & chorizo soup

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Lamb cutlets with lentil & feta salad

• 20 mins


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Lincolnshire sausage & lentil simmer

• 1 hour and 20 mins


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Spiced red lentil soup

• 35 mins


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Smoked haddock with lemon & dill lentils

• 35 mins


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Lentil, carrot & ham salad

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Sausage & fennel meatballs with lentils

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Moroccan-style chicken with lentils

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Chilli & tangerine braised lentils

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Kid friendly recipes

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Our top 30 kid-friendly recipes will have everyone leaving the dinner table happy, healthy, and full-bellied. What more could you ask for?

Our Most Popular Family-Friendly Recipes, Under One Roof! You're Welcome.

We can all use a win in the kitchen every now and then, especially when it comes to being able to quickly prepare meals that our whole family will enjoy. With that in mind, we’ve taken the liberty of rounding up our top 30 kid-friendly recipes that will have everyone leaving the dinner table happy, healthy, and full-bellied. What more could you ask for?

Soup For Everyone!

Slurpable and simmering, soups are the ultimate kid friendly dinners!

• This comforting and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup uses our favorite rotisserie chicken hack and tastes like love in a bowl making it one of our favorite, easy family-friendly meals.


• My kids love crushing chips and piling on all the cheese atop this Smoky Tortilla Soup, while I enjoy some bright cilantro and cubed avocado. This is one of our best kid friendly meals.


• This Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale practically broke the internet when it debuted and might just be one of the best quick and kid friendly dinner ideas out there.


• Our easy Chicken Ramen Soup is a favorite in my house. My kids love the long, slurpable noodles, and I love that I’m not loading them with sodium from those preservative-laden seasoning packets.


• This Tomato Bisque with fried cheese is a fresh take on a classic pairing that makes for a dunkable, fun, and kid-friendly meal that is sure to end the day with smiles.

The Best of The Bowls

These bowls get lots of really good (and good for you) stuff into one compact little package, and are one of our simple weeknight dinner staples. A lot of them can be prepped ahead making for some quick dinner ideas for kids!

• We’re obsessed with this Chicken Teriyaki Sushi Bowl. Shredded seaweed, thinly sliced cucumber, creamy chunks of avocado, and of course that sriracha mayo all add up to one incredibly tasty take on dinner. We serve all the deconstructed parts to our kids and they love it!


• Brown rice and black beans kick of this loaded Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowl that’s topped with our Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas and alllll the toppings for a completely customizable dish even picky eaters will chow.

Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes: Updated Classics

These classic dishes may sound familiar, but we’ve upped their flavor, healthfulness, and kid-approvedness (thats a word right?) in a big way.

• What’s crunchy and juicy and keto all over? These Baked Pecan Chicken Tenders, that’s what! Serve them with a side of homemade buttermilk ranch and your kids just might think they’ve died and gone to heaven.


• This Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf is protein packed and full of lots of veggies. And the best part? Your kids will never know just how healthy it is….muhahahaha!


• These Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes are perfectly sized for little mouths and, as an added bonus, are paleo-friendly! Healthy and delicious is something we can all get behind.


• Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger and we think our Classic Cheeseburger with Secret Sauce is the best!

Kale soup

Here's to a winter filled with healthy comfort foods. First up, this wonderfully savory kale soup with white beans and potatoes.

A touch of the English condiment Marmite adds an extra layer of savoriness to this stew, but in a pinch, you can leave it out.

Healthy comfort food

Happy New Year, friends! Hope you all enjoyed the last few days of 2016 with your friends and family. We continued what's become our little tradition of hosting good friends for a low-key New Year's Eve overnight with lots of catching up, playing and eating and a good New Year's Day hike.

This year we've added a legit table tennis situation, air hockey and (ahem!) a Wii U to the mix, which definitely didn't detract from the fun we would've had together anyway. As usual not all of us stayed up until midnight, but this time all the kids did.

A time for self-care

I really look forward to this time of year, when there's momentum in the air, both for professional productivity and for being good to ourselves. I'm excited to eat lots of dinners like this one: deeply delicious, super-healthy comfort food. And I'm equally excited to share lots and lots of these recipes with you.

For January and February, I'll be sharing two recipes and one travel post per week, with some bonus interiors and fitness posts sprinkled into the mix. As always, I'd truly love to hear from you about pretty much everything, including what you'd like to see more of on Umami Girl this year.