You may not have come across the Gin-Gin Mule before (think of it as the lesser-known cousin of the Moscow Mule) but Jordan Blackman, group beverage manager at Odd Culture Group, thinks that should change.
“A Gin-Gin Mule is traditionally gin, a bit of fresh citrus, ginger beer and some fresh mint,” he says. “This bad boy has an emphasis on a spicy ginger beer versus something a little bit too sweet.”
The vodka of a Moscow Mule is subbed for gin, with Blackman favouring a wintery, juniper-heavy spirit like Edinburgh Classic. “I like more traditional gin,” Blackman says. “I find a lot of new-world gins really lean into that bright, citrusy, floral realm and lose what gin is all about, which is juniper.”
By taking a more classic style of gin, Blackman is leaving room for the other key ingredients in his variation on the Gin-Gin Mule – which he calls the Pamplemousse Mule – to shine through. “Grapefruit and ginger are the two key elements,” says Blackman. “The ginger is really trying to lean into the more spicy elements of the Edinburgh Gin.” While you can use whichever ginger beer you like, Blackman suggests going for something which really dials up the ginger heat, like Capi’s spicy-style ginger beers.
For the grapefruit component, Blackman opts for the one-two punch of fresh ruby red grapefruit and Pampelle, a grapefruit aperitif. “Rather than leaning too heavily on lime as the citrus, this is really working that ruby red grapefruit, which is a winter citrus,” Blackman says. “It does have a lot of natural sweetness similar to oranges, but that bitterness really cuts through.”
With the addition of the grapefruit aperitif, those characters are really taken up a couple of notches. “The Pampelle is a citrus aperitif but it definitely has some more of those bitter, earthy characters as well,” says Blackman. “It’s got gentian in there as well so it really leans into the more spicy, bitter, earthy characters in the gin.”
Pamplemousse Mule
Makes 1 serving
Approx. 1.5 standard drinks
Ingredients:
45ml Edinburgh Classic London Dry Gin
15ml grapefruit aperitif (Jordan uses Pampelle Ruby Red Grapefruit aperitif)
1 dash bitters
2 large wedges of ruby red grapefruit
1 bottle of ginger beer (preferably spicy ginger beer)
Cubed ice
Method:
Combine Edinburgh Classic London Dry Gin, grapefruit aperitif, bitters in a highball glass, followed by a good squeeze of one wedge of fresh red grapefruit.
Fill your glass with plenty of cubed ice for optimal dilution and gin-to-ginger beer ratio. Top with spicy ginger beer and give a quick stir to combine all ingredients. Garnish with a big wedge of fresh red grapefruit.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Edinburgh Gin.
