No. 44Tequila & Mezcal
Pickle Mezcal Mule
Smoke, ginger and brine in a frosty copper mug.
A Pickle Mezcal Mule is mezcal, lime and dill pickle brine topped with spicy ginger beer over crushed ice in a copper mug. Smoky mezcal and sharp ginger meet the salty dill edge of the brine. It is fizzy, warming and savory all at once.
21+Updated
Brine2/52 of 5
Heat1/51 of 5
StrengthMedium
- Glass
- copper mug
- Method
- Built in the glass
- Time
- 2 min
- Makes
- 1 drink
Ingredients
Make it for
Units
Amounts for 1, in ounces.
- 1½ oz mezcal (a joven espadín)
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- ½ oz dill pickle brine (chilled)
- 4 oz ginger beer (chilled, dry and spicy)
- 1 lime wheel (for garnish)
- 1 candied ginger (a piece on a pick, for garnish)
- 1 dill pickle spear (for garnish)
- Glass
- copper mug
- Garnish
- lime wheel, candied ginger and pickle spear
How to make it
- Fill a copper mug with crushed ice.
- Add the mezcal, lime juice and brine.
- Top with the ginger beer.
- Stir gently from the bottom to mix.
- Garnish with a lime wheel, candied ginger and a pickle spear.
Bar tips
- Pick a dry, spicy ginger beer rather than ginger ale; the ginger bite is what stands up to smoke and brine.
- Use a copper mug lined with stainless steel or nickel, since acidic drinks should not sit in bare copper.
- Chill the mug in the freezer for 10 minutes for a frosty outside.
Make it your own
- Muddle 3 cucumber slices in the mug before the ice for a cooler, greener mule.
- Use blanco tequila for a brighter, less smoky mule.
Bar lore
Bartender Jim Meehan created the Mezcal Mule at PDT in New York City, pairing mezcal with ginger beer, lime, cucumber and passion fruit.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/pickle-mezcal-mule
