A Gin Gin Mule is 45 ml gin, 25 ml fresh lime juice, 20 ml sugar syrup and 6–8 mint leaves, shaken hard, strained over ice and topped with about 30 ml of spicy ginger beer. It is a Mojito crossed with a Moscow Mule, using gin, and it is one of the best summer drinks you can make with a home-made gin.
Key takeaways
- Created by New York bartender Audrey Saunders around 2000. It is a modern classic, not a vintage one.
- Shake the gin, lime, syrup and mint together, then add the ginger beer afterwards so it stays fizzy.
- Use a spicy, dry ginger beer. A sweet ginger ale makes it cloying.
- One serve is about 1.4 Australian standard drinks.
- A juniper-forward gin such as Top Shelf Select Blue Jewel Gin stands up to the ginger and mint.
The recipe
Serves 1. Prep time: 4 minutes. Glass: highball.
Ingredients
- 45 ml gin (Top Shelf Select Blue Jewel Gin essence in 40% ABV neutral spirit)
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 20 ml sugar syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
- 6–8 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig to garnish
- About 30 ml spicy ginger beer
- Ice
- Lime wedge, to garnish
Method
- Add the mint leaves, lime juice and sugar syrup to a shaker and press the mint gently to release its oils. Don't shred it.
- Add the gin and fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake hard for 10–12 seconds.
- Double-strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
- Top with the ginger beer and stir once, gently.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge.
Where the Gin Gin Mule comes from
Audrey Saunders created the Gin Gin Mule around 2000, before she opened New York's Pegu Club, as a gin drink for people who liked Mojitos and Moscow Mules. The doubled name is a nod to the gin and the ginger. Saunders made her own ginger beer for it. A good spicy bottled ginger beer is the practical substitute.
Making the gin at home
Top Shelf Select Blue Jewel Gin is a London-dry-style gin essence that comes as two 1.125 L sachets ($21), flavouring 2.25 L of 40% ABV neutral spirit. Make a clean neutral on a reflux still, carbon-filter it, dilute to 40% and add the essence. For a botanical gin instead of an essence gin, redistil the neutral through botanicals in a pot still; our T500 Pro instructions cover that route.
Standard drinks
45 ml of 40% gin is 18 ml of alcohol, about 1.4 Australian standard drinks. Ginger beer from the supermarket is non-alcoholic; if you use an alcoholic ginger beer, add its alcohol on top.
Variations
- Moscow Mule: swap the gin for vodka, drop the mint and syrup, and use more ginger beer.
- Cucumber Gin Mule: muddle three slices of cucumber with the mint.
- Low-sugar: halve the syrup and use a dry ginger beer.
- Long and light: top with 90 ml of ginger beer instead of 30 ml for a longer, lower-strength drink.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Gin Gin Mule?
Gin, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, fresh mint and ginger beer: typically 45 ml gin, 25 ml lime, 20 ml syrup, 6–8 mint leaves and about 30 ml ginger beer.
Who invented the Gin Gin Mule?
New York bartender Audrey Saunders, around 2000. She later served it at her bar, the Pegu Club.
What is the difference between a Gin Gin Mule and a Moscow Mule?
A Moscow Mule is vodka, lime and ginger beer. The Gin Gin Mule uses gin, adds mint and sugar syrup, and is shaken before the ginger beer goes in.
Can I use ginger ale instead of ginger beer?
You can, but ginger ale is sweeter and milder, so the drink loses its spice. Cut the sugar syrup if you use it.
How strong is a Gin Gin Mule?
About 1.4 Australian standard drinks, from 45 ml of 40% gin.
