NORWALK, Conn., July 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cocktail
trends come and go, but no vodka cocktail is more iconic than the
Moscow Mule. Today, cocktail menus across America feature the
Moscow Mule and creative variations of the recipe—but there's only
one original. As the co-creators of the original Moscow Mule in
1941, SMIRNOFF™ vodka and Cock'n
Bull® Ginger
Beer are celebrating seventy-five years of America's first
vodka cocktail.
![The original Moscow Mule, created 75 years ago, is made with SMIRNOFF No. 21, Cock'n Bull Ginger Beer and a squeeze of lime. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Smirnoff) The original Moscow Mule, created 75 years ago, is made with SMIRNOFF No. 21, Cock'n Bull Ginger Beer and a squeeze of lime. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Smirnoff)](https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20160722/392128)
In the late 1930s, John G. Martin
was the president of an American alcohol company, Heublein, which
owned the rights to SMIRNOFF™ vodka. One historic
day seventy-five years ago, in 1941, Martin sat at the bar of The
Cock'n Bull, an iconic pub on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, with owner
Jack Morgan. At a time when brown
spirits were king, Martin was struggling to market his newly
acquired vodka to American palates. Morgan, too, had a dilemma: few
people cared for or even knew about his ginger beer. Martin and
Morgan made cocktail history when they created a solution to sell
both products by combining SMIRNOFF™ No. 21 vodka with
Cock'n Bull® Ginger Beer and a spritz of lime in a copper
mug. This was the world's first Moscow Mule.
Following the creation of the cocktail at The Cock'n Bull,
Martin travelled to bars around the
United States encouraging bartenders to make a Moscow Mule,
giving each of them an instant photograph of themselves with the
final creation. Martin took a copy of the instant photograph on to
the next bar, encouraging other bartenders to make the cocktail and
eventually sparking a frenzy for the Moscow Mule across the
country.
"In only a few short years, the Moscow Mule took America by
storm and gained popularity in cocktail culture, paving the way for
many other popular mixed vodka drinks including the Screwdriver,
the Bloody Mary, the Gimlet and more," said Jay Sethi, Vice President of Marketing,
SMIRNOFF™. "Today, 75 years later, the Moscow Mule is
experiencing a comeback as one of the most popular cocktails in the
U.S., and naturally, the makers of SMIRNOFF™ vodka are
celebrating."
To kick off the celebration of this milestone anniversary,
SMIRNOFF™ hosted a series of immersive dinners at the
14th Annual Tales of the Cocktail, one of America's
premier spirits festivals that highlighted the Moscow Mule during
an annual cocktail competition. Throughout the evening, invited
guests of legal drinking age were transported back in time to
experience the story of the Moscow Mule in a pop-up restaurant
modelled on the historic meeting between John G. Martin and Jack
Morgan. Guests responsibly sampled original Moscow Mules,
made with SMIRNOFF™ No. 21 vodka and Cock'n
Bull® Ginger
Beer.
"Any mixologist or bartender can make a Moscow Mule," said
Daniel Meyers, President of C-B
Beverage Corp., owners of Cock'n
Bull® Ginger
Beer. "But it's not an original Moscow Mule unless it's made
with the zesty combination of SMIRNOFF™ vodka and
Cock'n Bull® Ginger Beer."
For 150 years, the SMIRNOFF™ brand has been enjoyed
by legal drinking age consumers around the world, but it wasn't
until the Moscow Mule was created that vodka became a popular
spirit in the United States. The
mixability of SMIRNOFF™ vodka and its quality have
inspired other vodka varieties across the globe and served as the
basis for popularizing some of the world's most famous
cocktails.
No matter when or where you craft an original Moscow Mule to
commemorate this tremendous milestone, please remember to always
enjoy it in a copper mug and drink responsibly.
About SMIRNOFF
The SMIRNOFF brand, the world's
number-one selling vodka, traces its heritage back to 19th century
Russia. SMIRNOFF has always been
known for quality and is enjoyed responsibly in 130 countries
around the world. For more information, log on to
www.smirnoff.com.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage
alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including
Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit
and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas,
Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio,
Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and
the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more
than 180 countries around the world. For more information about
Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at
www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking
resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways
to share best practice.
Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North
America: @Diageo_NA.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
About Cock'n
Bull®
Cock'n
Bull® Ginger
Beer's history goes back 75 years to the creation of the
popular Moscow Mule cocktail in 1941. Today, Cock'n
Bull® Ginger
Beer can be purchased at retail locations across the
country. For more information, visit www.cocknbull.us.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jim Sias
Diageo
Jim.Sias@diageo.com
646-223-2305
Courtney Dinkelacker
Taylor
cdinkelacker@taylorstrategy.com
704-644-6929
Stephanie Cotts
Caring Marketing / Cock'n
Bull®
stephanie@caringmarketing.com
740-641-3163
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160722/392128
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160722/392127LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smirnoff-vodka-celebrates-75-years-since-co-creating-the-moscow-mule-300302727.html
SOURCE SMIRNOFF