…in which we explain the basic building blocks of the perfect Old Fashioned.

The Moscow Mule, originating from the Buck, is a cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer and lime. It is a quintessential summer drink to quench your thirst on in these hot days. The Buck is a more generic recipe made up of a spirit, ginger beer/ginger ale, and citrus.  The original Moscow Mule was created by Cock ‘N’ Bull founder Jack Morgan to see how his ginger beer would mix with vodka.  It’s a great drink for anytime of the year, but can be very refreshing on a hot, humid day.  These are a few fun variations on the original.

The Classic Moscow Mule

• 2 1/2 oz Reyka Vodka
• 1/4 of a fresh lime
• 6 oz Cock n’ Bull Ginger Beer

A Moscow Mule is usually mixed in a copper mug and served with ice.  If the Cock n Bull is too sweet of a ginger beer for your taste, try spicing it up with Q ginger beer which has added cardamom, coriander, and chili pepper extract while only being sweetened with agave nectar.

The Manchester Mule

• 1 1/2 – 2 oz Tattersall Gin
• 1 oz Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur
• 5 oz ginger beer
• Cucumber slice for garnish

An interesting take hailing from England–typically one would use a London dry gin for this recipe, but the floral Letherbee or fresh Tattersall are two great replacements. The Pimm’s and cucumber add some bitterness and herbaceous tones to a typically citrus/spcice-centric drink. This helps to offset the bright piney flavor of the  gin and the spiciness of the ginger beer. Not to say that it doesn’t work in a more classic form: if that’s what you’re interested in, try subtracting the Pimm’s, add lime juice and Beefeater 24 gin for a slight grapefruit flavor, and replace the cucumber with a lime wedge.

Stubborn/Bourbon/Rye Buck

• 2 1/2 oz Jameson Irish whiskey/Bulleit bourbon/Sazerac rye
• 1/4 of a fresh lemon (not lime!)
• 6 oz Cock n’ Bull ginger beer
• 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Who says Mules have to adhere to being clear spirit drinks? The Stubborn Buck is the classic recipe, but using Jameson or another Irish whiskey instead of vodka.  The Kentucky Buck is self-explanatory, but delicious nonetheless.  We would suggest using Buffalo Trace or Bulleit.  If you really love spiciness, you could use a rye whiskey instead.  In that case, the dry spice of Rittenhouse or sweeter styled Templeton are great ryes for mixing.  Angostura bitters always add a little extra depth to a whiskey cocktail.

There are endless variations of this drink and we fully support you going out and creating your own spin on this classic. Come on in with questions about our recipes and give us new ideas to try!

Get fresh with a few of our favorite gins—from the tried-and-true to the fantastically funky. Check out 4 of our springtime picks, complete with suggestions for some killer cocktail recipes for each.  Let the weekend be Gin!

Letherbee Vernal 2017

Letherbee, a France 44 favorite hailing from Chicago, have graced us with a few cases of their brand-spanking-new Vernal Gin! Every spring and fall they make a different unique gin that they will never replicate. This year’s Vernal is highlighted by fistfuls of fresh lemongrass, crisp basil on the nose, and a spicy ginger that pops on the palate.

This rare gem is perfect with some Fever Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water to highlight the fresh herbs, or in a martini with a lemon twist.

Barr Hill Gin

Caledonia Spirits out of Vermont are known for two things: Gin and Honey. They are originally an apiary—that’s right, bee farmers! As an ode to their bees, they make a very clean and simple gin infused solely with juniper, and then water it down to 90 proof with their own honey. The honey comes from clover and wildflower, and those nuanced flavors shine with the spicy juniper and sweet thick body the honey gives the spirit.

This gin is great with some crisp clean Q Tonic to cut some of the thickness or in a classic Bee’s Knees cocktail with lemon and honey.

Cannonball Navy Strength Gin

Looking for something with a little more punch? The brand new navy strength gin from Scotland, Cannonball, has you covered. Clocking in at the classic 114.4 proof that the British Navy used to carry on their ships, this brutish gin has twice the juniper of most gins with lemon peel to balance and an unusual ingredient in Szechuan pepper!

Big, bold, and spicy on the palate, this gin is best drunk with the full flavor of Fever Tree Indian Tonic or in a spicy negroni with Campari and Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth. You’ll have a blast with this one!

Norseman Strawberry Rhubarb Gin

Northeast Minneapolis’s local staple Norseman is back at it again with their Strawberry Rhubarb Gin. This lighter style gin is made with Minneapolis grown rhubarb and is great for those in your life that think they don’t like gin and need a little nudge in the right direction. The slight sweetness from the strawberry gives it body while the juniper and rhubarb play together with interesting complexity. Remember that rhubarb itself is almost 100% water, so the note of rhubarb is light. But with a squeeze of fresh citrus (squeeze that lime!) the rhubarb brightens up and becomes tart.

Best served with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic for added dry floral tones and a hefty squeeze of lime.

Weather warming up? Time to cool down your cocktails.

Pre-Prohibition era cocktails to make you rethink flavor combinations and break the chains of traditional cocktail recipes.