Suburban bars get a kick out of Moscow Mules — and their copper cups

The Moscow Mule — a simple cocktail of vodka, ginger beer and lime juice dating back to the 1940s — is making a big resurgence at bars across the suburbs and around the country.

“The third most Google-searched cocktail in America this year is the Moscow Mule, only following the cosmopolitan and mojito,” said Smirnoff brand director Brian Radics. “It's become more mainstream and it's sweeping the country.”

Area bars have taken note of the Moscow Mule's rise in popularity. “I think people just find it pretty refreshing,” said Bobby Razes, owner of Bobbers in Lake Zurich. “Ginger hasn't been used a lot over the years. I think it's making a comeback.”

The drink was invented more than 70 years ago when Smirnoff owner John Martin was trying to push Americans, who largely preferred whiskey, to try vodka. He met with a restaurant owner who had a surplus of ginger beer and they tried mixing their products together along with a bit of lime juice.

The name Moscow Mule is a tribute to the spirit brand's Russian roots and the drink's alcoholic kick. The inventors then encouraged the recipe's spread by taking pictures of bartenders mixing the Moscow Mule to create a portfolio, which they showed other bartenders to prove that their competitors were serving the drink.

“Vodka was not well-known or often used in the '40s, but the Moscow mule brought vodka into the cocktail conversation,” Radics said. “As the industry and consumer tastes were changing, it led to additional cocktails being invented like the martini, Bloody Mary and screwdriver.”

While the classics it helped pave the way for remained bar staples, the Moscow Mule itself waned in popularity.

“In the spirits industry we're all victims of trends and consumer tastes changing,” Radics said. “In the U.S. we're in the middle of a whiskey revolution. In the 2000s, whiskey started playing a bigger role because of ‘Mad Men.' Whiskeys held a place in cocktail culture and vodka fell off. Tastes are changing again. People want more than just a whiskey taste profile, but people like the classic cocktails.”

Bobbers in Lake Zurich makes their version of the Moscow Mule with Smirnoff, Stirrings ginger liqueur, Barritt's ginger beer and three fresh limes squeezed and added to the copper mug the drink is traditionally served in. Drinkers have found the ginger taste of the cocktail so appealing that the bar also added Left Hand Brewing's Good Juju alcoholic ginger beer on tap.

The Moscow Mule has been on the menu at Spears in Wheeling since the bar opened last year. In addition to the classic version, they also serve a Melon Moscow Mule made with Grey Goose Le Melon that makes the drink a little sweeter. General manager Joe Romeo said customers often order the cocktail after spotting the copper mugs behind the bar.

“It keeps (the drink) colder a little longer, but people just love the look,” he said. “I don't know why it's so appealing.”

Justyna Pikul, bar manager of Rack House Kitchen and Tavern in Arlington Heights, said that the copper mug also enhances the taste of ginger beer and vodka. “It's one of our top-selling cocktails,” she said. “We feature it right on the top of our menu because it stands out and people love it. The best part about is that it gets served in the copper Moscow Mule mug. Even if it's 100 degrees on the patio, if that drink is in the mug it's going to stay cool no matter what.”

Radics said Smirnoff has tried to no avail to figure out the origins of the drink's iconic copper mug. “All we do know is because it's such a great conductor of the ice, it's perfect for the Moscow Mule.”

Some drinkers love those mugs a bit too much.

“We've had many people take them,” Pikul said. “We should put a tracking device on those things. We just got some new mugs in and we'll see how long they last.”

While the Moscow Mule is particularly popular during summer, some drinkers prefer it in the winter because ginger reminds them of the holidays. Part of the drink's popularity also comes from its versatility. Rack House's version incorporates Tito's vodka, house-made lime simple syrup and fresh mint, though it can also be made with whiskey as an “Irish Mule” or rum for a “Caribbean Mule.” Radics also said he's seen the drink mixed with bourbon and dubbed an “American Mule.”

“The Mule is rooted in heritage, but a lot of bartenders are creating their own version of the Moscow Mule,” he said. “There's a lot of freedom for personal expression even in a historic cocktail.”