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Subject: The Moscow Mule REAL STORY...
From: The Mule Man
Posted: Tue Feb 3. 2015, 08:56 UTC
How It All Started...

 If you, like millions of Americans, have recently discovered the taste 
explosion of the Moscow Mule, you’ve probably taken a moment to learn a bit 
about this curious cocktail. All the research in the world won’t provide you 
with an accurate picture of this uniquely American cocktail’s history though. 
Take a trip back in time with us, and you’ll learn the hidden past of the 
Moscow Mule and discover just how the copper mug became such an important 
piece of the puzzle.

 In 1941, Sophie Berezinski was a woman on a mission. She had immigrated to 
the United States from Russia and was carrying a heavy burden: 2,000 solid 
copper mugs. Sophie’s father owned and operated a copper factory in Russia 
known as the Moscow Copper Co. Back in Russia, Sophie had created the design 
for the original copper mug that is now so famously linked to the Moscow Mule 
cocktail. Her father ran the presses that stamped out the mugs.

The one tool both Sophie and her father lacked was the slick skills of a 
salesman. Neither Sophie nor her father was able to sell the mugs in Russia, 
so the decision was made that Sophie and the mugs would journey to America. 
After all, it was well known that America was the land of opportunity. 
However, after some time, the mugs seemed destined for the scrap heap in 
America too. Sophie’s husband Max was tired of the copper mugs cluttering the 
house, and issued her an ultimatum: "Find a buyer for the mugs or I’m tossing 
them."

Sophie couldn’t bear to see the solid copper mugs she had designed and 
manufactured with her father end up in a landfill. She began desperately 
seeking out a buyer, walking door to door in Hollywood in search of a 
restaurant or lounge owner interested in the mugs. During one of her long days 
in search of a buyer for the mugs, fate intervened at the famous Cock ‘n’ Bull 
pub on the Sunset Strip.

 The Day History was Made

Sophie walked into the Cock ‘n’ Bull pub at just the right time, on the right 
day in 1941 to help create a cocktail America would fall in love with. John 
Martin had purchased the floundering Smirnoff Vodka distillery (yes, that 
Smirnoff) in the 1930’s. Though he was successful as the head of G.F. Heublein 
& Brothers, a food and spirits importer that made A1 steak sauce popular, he 
wasn’t as fortunate with vodka.

Americans had no interest in vodka. Beer, whiskey, and other cocktails ruled 
the roost in America at this time. Jack Morgan was in a similar bind. As owner 
of the Cock ‘n’ Bull, he was trying to introduce America to his own brand of 
ginger beer. The two men were already good friends when they met at Morgan’s 
pub to drown their woes. As the duo lamented their lackluster sales and sought 
redemption for their respective products, in walked Sophie with her solid 
copper mugs.

As Sophie would tell the story, the trio spent hours developing a drink that 
would bring together the fizzy nature of the ginger beer, the punch of the 
vodka, and the cold properties of copper to create the next great cocktail. 
After a number of taste tests and a few failed concoctions, they stumbled upon 
a recipe for a cocktail that would solve all their problems. The Moscow Mule 
was born on that day in 1941. The perfect combination of vodka and ginger 
beer, housed in a solid copper mug that kept the drink cold and enhanced its 
flavor and aroma, resulting in a cocktail that America would fawn over for the 
next two decades.

 Setting the Record Straight

For decades, Sophie’s role in the creation of the Moscow Mule remained 
shrouded in mystery. Always referred to as the “third party” or "unnamed 
contributor,” it was Sophie’s solid copper mugs that gave the cocktail its 
distinct presentation. Today, her grandson JJ Resnick operates the Moscow 
Copper Co. to provide the new generation of Moscow Mule fans with Sophie’s 
Original Mule Mug.

When Sophie introduced John and Jack to her original solid copper mugs in 
1941, they were made of 100% heavy gauge copper. The mugs had a simple, yet 
attractive design. The Moscow Copper Co. original mugs sold today are those 
same mugs reintroduced that Sophie walked into the pub with over 70 years ago.

We call our copper mule mugs “The One, The Only…The Original,” for a reason. 
The mugs we make today at our small, family owned company are manufactured 
following Sophie’s exacting specifications . We use the original molds from 
Sophie and follow her notes to the letter, including the directions for 
affixing the heavy gauge solid copper handle. Every other “original” mule mug 
on the market today is an imposter. The Moscow Copper Co. Original Mule Mug is 
the only one based on the original design.

There are only 2,000 of these limited edition Original Copper mugs available 
today, just as there were in 1941. Each mug comes with a numbered stamp, 
indicating its place in the limited edition run. Your mug also comes with a 
“Certificate of Authenticity” card identifying the copper technician who gave 
your mug the final inspection before leaving the factory. All of our mugs come 
with a lifetime guarantee. The next time you hoist a Moscow Mule, lift it in 
the mug its creators intended. Lift it in a Moscow Copper Co. Original Mule 
Mug.

Visit MoscowCopper.com to learn more or to get your Original Moscow Mule pure 
copper mug.


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