Most Kentucky Mules fail in one of two ways. Either the ginger beer is a sweet one and the drink tastes like bourbon soda, or it is a dry, spicy one and the lime turns the whole thing sharp and thin. The answer is to treat the sweetener as something you measure, not something the ginger beer decides for you. A small pour of Proof Traditional syrup ties the bourbon, lime and ginger together and gives the drink a middle. This Kentucky Mule recipe shows how much to use and when.
What Makes a Great Kentucky Mule
A Kentucky Mule is a Moscow Mule with bourbon in place of the vodka: whiskey, lime juice and ginger beer over ice, traditionally in a copper mug. Vodka adds almost nothing to a mule except strength. Bourbon brings vanilla, oak and caramel, which is why this version tends to win people over.
It also changes the balance. Bourbon's sweetness is mostly an impression from the barrel; there is very little actual sugar in it. Lime is sour and ginger is hot. So the sweetener slot ends up carrying the drink. In most recipes that slot is left to the ginger beer, and ginger beers vary a great deal from brand to brand. Some are close to soda. Others are dry enough to make you cough.
Putting a measured amount of syrup in the glass means you control the balance yourself. You can buy the driest, spiciest ginger beer on the shelf, which is usually the best-tasting one, and bring the drink back into line with a quarter or half ounce of syrup.
Kentucky Mule Recipe
Makes one drink.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 oz Proof Traditional syrup (1/4 oz with a sweet ginger beer, 1/2 oz with a dry one)
- 4 oz cold ginger beer
- Lime wheel and a mint sprig, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a copper mug or a highball glass with ice.
- Add the bourbon, lime juice and syrup. Stir for about ten seconds to chill and combine.
- Top with the ginger beer, pouring it down the side of the mug to keep the carbonation.
- Give it one gentle stir from the bottom up. No more than that.
- Garnish with the lime wheel. Slap the mint sprig once against your hand to wake it up, then tuck it in next to the lime.
Why the Sweetener Matters
Plain simple syrup would do the balancing job, but it adds nothing else. Proof syrups are made in small batches with raw cane sugar, which has a deeper, slightly caramel character that sits naturally next to bourbon. It also has more body than a thin 1:1 syrup, so the drink feels less watery as the ice melts.
The Traditional syrup is an Old Fashioned syrup, which means aromatic bitters are already cooked in. Plenty of bartenders add a dash or two of bitters to a mule anyway, because the spice bridges the whiskey and the ginger. Here it comes built into the pour. The result is a mule that tastes like a whiskey drink with ginger in it, not a ginger soda with whiskey somewhere underneath.
If you prefer a simpler, taller version with no lime, our bourbon ginger highball covers that.
Kentucky Mule Variations
Keep the structure the same and change the syrup. Each of these uses the same method as the main recipe.
Orange Kentucky Mule
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz Proof Orange syrup
- 4 oz ginger beer
- Orange wheel, for garnish
Orange softens the lime and makes the drink rounder and more citrus-forward. Best for: warm afternoons and anyone who finds a standard mule too tart.
Black Walnut Kentucky Mule
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz Proof Black Walnut syrup
- 4 oz ginger beer
- Lime wheel, for garnish
Nutty and a little earthy, which pulls the drink toward fall. It works especially well with a higher-proof bourbon. Best for: cooler weather and a spicier ginger beer.
Maple Bacon Kentucky Mule
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz Proof Maple Bacon syrup
- 4 oz ginger beer
- Mint sprig, for garnish
Maple and ginger are an easy match, and the savory, smoky note keeps it from tasting like candy. Maple Bacon is not vegan, so mention it if you are making a round for guests. Best for: tailgates, cookouts and brunch.
Technique Tips
Pick the Ginger Beer Before You Pick the Pour
Taste the ginger beer on its own first. If it is sweet and mild, use a quarter ounce of syrup. If it is dry and hot, use the full half ounce. Ginger ale will work in a pinch but it is softer and sweeter, so start at a quarter ounce and expect a gentler drink.
Use Fresh Lime
Bottled lime juice tastes flat and slightly cooked, and in a drink with only four ingredients there is nowhere for it to hide. Half a lime gives you about the half ounce you need. Squeeze it just before you build the drink.
Stir Before the Ginger Beer, Not After
Mix the bourbon, lime and syrup with the ice first. Once the ginger beer goes in, every stir knocks out carbonation. One slow lift from the bottom is enough to bring the heavier ingredients up through the drink.
The Copper Mug Is Optional
Copper gets cold fast and looks the part, which is most of the reason it became the standard. A highball or a rocks glass makes exactly the same drink. What matters more is plenty of ice, so the drink stays cold without diluting too quickly.
Stock the Sweetener and the Rest Is Easy
Bourbon, limes and ginger beer are easy to keep on hand. The part that makes a Kentucky Mule taste finished is the measured sweetener, and a bottle covers about 32 drinks at a half-ounce pour. Start with Traditional, then try Orange or Black Walnut once you know how you like it. For more ideas along these lines, see what to mix with bourbon.
Browse the full range in the Proof Syrup collection.
