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Subject: Re: The Moscow Mule REAL STORY...
From: Cheryl Charming
Posted: Sun Jul 5. 2015, 10:13 UTC
Followup to: "The Moscow Mule REAL STORY..."  by The Mule Man  (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.

I've never heard this entire story or am I am disputing it, but "the trio 
spent hours developing a drink that 
would bring together the fizzy nature of the ginger beer, the punch of the 
vodka" is a little simple...........adding vodka to ginger beer is not not a 
revolution in the cocktail world.

It seems that Sophie only supplied copper cups to the mix.

Your story leaves out how John Martin traveled the USA with a new invention 
called a polaroid camera from bar to bar for years taking pics of bartenders 
with the copper mugs filled with Moscow Mule. Imagine hauling copper mugs, 
vodka and ginger beer by trains and primitive cars on dirt roads without air 
conditioning. He would leave the polaroids at the bar hoping to spread the 
news of this cocktail.

I suggest that if you want to bring your story to life that you contact the 
Museum of the American Cocktail or book an event at Tales of the Cocktail.


-- 
Cheers!
Cheryl Charming aka Miss Charming™
Miss Charming, Inc.
Current claim to fame is having the most published bar/cocktail books.

TEXT/PHONE: 407-924-6234
ABOUT: http://www.misscharming.com/about/about.htm
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TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cherylcharming
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