The Moscow Mule: Which Story do you Believe?
- By Maria Fatkhieva
- Published 09/28/2011
- Wine and Spirits
- Unrated
In a quiet corner of a bar, located inside New York's Chatham Hotel, three men gathered to enjoy hors d'oeuvre and a visit, while waiting for the arrival of Jack Morgan's Cock 'n' Bull ginger beer. The men are good friends, and hope that the ginger beer will take New York by storm, like it has Hollywood and the west coast. The three men are very comfortable with each other's company and start to discuss ideas for new uses for the ginger beer.
One of the men is John A. Morgan, the president of Cock 'n' Bull Products. He is also the owner of Hollywood's Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant. He was excited about the release of his ginger beer to New York, a popular hangout with movie actors and actresses. At that moment though, he was more interested in passing the time with good friends.
With John A. Morgan was John G. Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers Inc. Mr. Morgan was married to the famous actress Jane Weeks Martin, and he loved eating at Morgan's restaurant. He was instrumental in introducing the Hollywood scene to vodka when he had acquired the rights to Smirnoff vodka a few years earler for $14,000.
Mr. Martin also had with him the President of his vodka division, Ralph Kunnett. These three men were laughing and having a good time, when they decided to try something new. They talked the bartender into bringing th
em some ice, Morgan produced some ginger beer, and Martin produced some vodka. The three men poured 2 ounces of vodka over ice, and added the ginger beer. The men then added a squeeze of lime. The combination, the men discovered, was a darn good cocktail.
The men celebrated the arrival of ginger beer to the east coast. However, it never was very popular. The yankees just did not understand what the Californians found intersting about the drink.
Soon the three men met again at the Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant. They found the new drink still tasted great, especially when served in a copper cup. The men ordered special copper cups produced to serve the drink in. The cups, today, are collectible items and each have an etching of a mule on the side.
That is the story that has been told many times . But, is it the truth?
Another story surfaced after the retirement of Wes Prince who was the head bartender at the Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant for many years. Mr. Prince claimed that he created the drink in the bar there. His purpose in creating the drink was quite simple. He had an overstock of ginger beer and needed to get rid of it, as it was not selling. He mixed the drink. Mr. Prince claims he gave the first drink to Broderick Crawford. From there, he claims the cocktail caught on like wildfire in Hollywood, although it never was popular in the east.
Which story do you believe, and which story is full of bull?
One of the men is John A. Morgan, the president of Cock 'n' Bull Products. He is also the owner of Hollywood's Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant. He was excited about the release of his ginger beer to New York, a popular hangout with movie actors and actresses. At that moment though, he was more interested in passing the time with good friends.
With John A. Morgan was John G. Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers Inc. Mr. Morgan was married to the famous actress Jane Weeks Martin, and he loved eating at Morgan's restaurant. He was instrumental in introducing the Hollywood scene to vodka when he had acquired the rights to Smirnoff vodka a few years earler for $14,000.
Mr. Martin also had with him the President of his vodka division, Ralph Kunnett. These three men were laughing and having a good time, when they decided to try something new. They talked the bartender into bringing th
The men celebrated the arrival of ginger beer to the east coast. However, it never was very popular. The yankees just did not understand what the Californians found intersting about the drink.
Soon the three men met again at the Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant. They found the new drink still tasted great, especially when served in a copper cup. The men ordered special copper cups produced to serve the drink in. The cups, today, are collectible items and each have an etching of a mule on the side.
That is the story that has been told many times . But, is it the truth?
Another story surfaced after the retirement of Wes Prince who was the head bartender at the Cock 'n' Bull Restaurant for many years. Mr. Prince claimed that he created the drink in the bar there. His purpose in creating the drink was quite simple. He had an overstock of ginger beer and needed to get rid of it, as it was not selling. He mixed the drink. Mr. Prince claims he gave the first drink to Broderick Crawford. From there, he claims the cocktail caught on like wildfire in Hollywood, although it never was popular in the east.
Which story do you believe, and which story is full of bull?
Maria Fatkhieva
Alcomixer is a community that provides its members with recipes, articles, useful tips, and other information relating to cocktails. We make it easy for everyday people to make not-so-everyday-cocktails. You can find out how to make the Moscow Mule cocktail today by taking a look at our moscow mule recipe.
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