The Best Kentucky Mule (Bourbon Mule)

Name: The Best Kentucky Mule
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 ounces bourbon; ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice; Ice; 6 ounces chilled ginger beer; Fresh mint sprig (for garnish, optional); Lime wedge or wheel (for garnish, optional)

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This very best Kentucky mule is the perfect refreshing cocktail for bourbon lovers! Freshly squeezed lime juice, smooth bourbon and cooling ginger beer come together to make one drink you’ll want to sip on the patio all night. You can whip up this favorite whiskey drink in under five minutes, and it couldn’t be easier to prepare. Plus, this bourbon mule comes with a batching option for easy entertaining.

A Kentucky mule on a straw placemat with a fresh mint sprig and lime wedges to the side.

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What Is a Kentucky Mule?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make a Pitcher for Parties
Recipe FAQs
Variations
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Get More Bourbon Cocktails
📖 Recipe

What Is a Kentucky Mule?

The Kentucky mule is a riff off its famous cocktail cousin, the Moscow mule. While a classic Moscow mule features vodka, fresh-squeezed lime juice and ginger beer, the Kentucky mule embraces its Southern roots and swaps vodka for bourbon.

You’ll love how bourbon gives this mule a richer, deeper flavor as its vanilla and caramel notes add a smoothness to that spicy ginger beer. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this recipe becomes your new favorite way to enjoy a mule.

Besides these two mule varieties, there are so many other types. Here are just a few.

London mule
Irish mule
Jamaican mule
Mezcal mule
Mexican mule

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Only requires three simple ingredients: No fancy liqueurs or simple syrups required here. Bourbon, lime juice and ginger beer are all it takes.

Quick and easy: Not a master bartender? That’s no problem here. If you can stir, you can make a perfect Kentucky mule. This is truly one of the easiest cocktails to mix.

Works as a large-batch recipe: If you don’t want to spend the whole evening mixing drinks, mules are great to turn into pitcher recipes. Hosting doesn’t get more simple than that.

Perfect for your Kentucky Derby party: Mint juleps are a classic, and you can’t go wrong serving my peach mint julep, sweet tea mint julep or strawberry mint julep. But this Kentucky mule makes a great alternative for something different while still showing off that Derby spirit.

Ingredients

Bourbon: All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. A proper Kentucky mule recipe specifically calls for bourbon, not just any whiskey. To qualify as bourbon, it must be aged in new charred-oak barrels with a grain bill that’s at least 51 percent from corn. That corn gives bourbon its signature sweeter flavor from other whiskeys.

Lime juice: Make sure you use freshly squeezed lime juice. Your drink will not be nearly as delicious and refreshing if you opt for bottled juice. When we’re only dealing with three ingredients, quality matters even more.

Ginger beer: Make sure you get ginger beer, not ginger ale for this bourbon mule. They’re two entirely different products. Ginger beer is spicier and less sweet and gives the mule its distinct taste.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: We start by adding the bourbon whiskey, fresh lime juice and ice to a copper mug (photo 1). Mule drinks are made right in the serving glass, so we don’t need a cocktail shaker.

A hand pouring a shot of bourbon into the copper mug on a brown wooden surface.

Step 2: Now we stir the mixture well with a bar spoon for about 15-20 seconds to chill (photo 2). As it starts to cool, you’ll notice condensation form on the mug.

A hand stirring the lime juice, bourbon and ice in a copper mug with a bar spoon on a wooden surface.

Step 3: With the bourbon mixture chilled, we pour in cold ginger beer and gently stir one more time (photo 3).

A hand pouring in the ginger beer into the copper mug with the ice and other ingredients on a wooden surface.

Step 4: For our final step, we add a sprig of mint and a lime wheel or wedge as a garnish (photo 4). This is optional, but it adds a lovely touch. Plus, I love how the mint sprig reminds me of a mint julep.

A hand placing a lime wheel on the side of the copper mug with a mint sprig in the cup.

And with that, our Kentucky mule is ready to enjoy. Take a sip and savor that bubbly finish.

How to Make a Pitcher for Parties

Now let’s review how to make a pitcher of Kentucky mules. The process couldn’t be easier. You can find the exact proportions in the recipe card.

Add the bourbon, lime juice and a handful or two of ice to a large pitcher.
Stir the bourbon mixture for 15-20 seconds and use a slotted spoon to remove any remaining ice. This accounts for the dilution you’d typically get.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Don’t go long than that — the lime juice flavor will start to dull.
Right before serving, pour in the ginger beer.
Now guests can serve themselves and keep their glass full, and your bartending duties are complete.

Recipe FAQs

What’s the best bourbon to use?

Save any rare, expensive bourbon for sipping on its own. At the same time, you don’t want a bottom-shelf bourbon, which is too harsh. A mid-range bourbon that’s good enough to sip neat is perfect. Bonus points for using an actual Kentucky bourbon.

Some of my favorites for cocktail mixing include Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit Bourbon and Four Roses. If you’d like some more inspiration, check out this resource on the best bourbon for cocktails.

What is ginger beer?

Not to be confused with ginger ale, ginger beer is a sparkling beverage made by fermenting fresh ginger with sugar. Long ago, ginger beer often contained alcohol, but these days, most ginger beers are nonalcoholic and are used in cocktails for that spicy ginger flavor and bubbly finish.

Do you have to serve a Kentucky mule in a copper mug?

Copper mugs are traditional for mule cocktails because they’re great at insulating the drink’s icy-cold temperature to keep every sip refreshing.

That said, you certainly don’t have to have a copper mule mug to enjoy a this drink. A double old fashioned glass or highball glass can also work. Don’t miss out on this tasty number just because of glassware.

Looking down on two Kentucky mule cocktails on a straw placement with a wooden plate filled with limes on the left.

Variations

Who doesn’t love a classic cocktail with a delicious twist? Here are a few ways you can put a unique touch on the Kentucky mule along with links to similar recipes to help you navigate the correct proportions and techniques.

Muddle with fresh fruit — strawberry mule or cherry Kentucky mule.
Stir in fruit purée — peach mule.
Use an infused simple syrup — rosemary Kentucky mule.
Add a splash of your favorite juice — cranberry mule or blood orange mule.
Swap a homemade flavored bourbon for regular bourbon in equal parts — cherry-infused bourbon and orange-infused bourbon.

Expert Tips

Slap the mint: Before garnishing, place the fresh mint sprig in the palm of your hand and quickly clap the other hand on top. This releases the mint’s fragrance for an even more delightful drinking experience.

Chill the ginger beer: To keep that copper mug nice and icy, make sure the ginger beer is well-chilled and not at room temperature. This is why I like to always keep ginger beer in the refrigerator, so I can whip up a refreshing mule at a moment’s notice.

Stir gently: Once you pour in the ginger beer, use a light touch when stirring to preserve the carbonation. We just want to combine the mixtures.

Use ripe limes: When you pick your limes at the grocery store, they should have a little give when you press your fingers into the skin. If the limes are hard, they’re dried out.

Freeze your mugs: On a particularly hot summer evening, I love to put the copper cup in the freezer for about 15 minutes before mixing for an extra cooling effect.

Perfect Pairing

We have so many options here. With its bold body and touch of smoke from the charred oak barrels, bourbon is great with some big meats. Enjoy these favorite pairings.

Thanks to those sweet vanilla and caramel notes, bourbon is also wonderful with so many desserts, especially with the ginger addition. These are great options if you prefer to satisfy your sweet tooth.

When you need the perfect bourbon cocktail, do yourself a favor and mix together this Kentucky mule. You’ll love every refreshing sip.

Cheers!

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