Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The 10 Best Vodkas for Crafting a Refreshing Moscow Mule in 2022

Don’t know what kind of cocktail to make your signature drink for 2022? Why not try crafting a Moscow mule at home. The Moscow mule is one of the most approachable and easy-to-make drinks for home mixologists, as it is only made up of three (yes, three!) ingredients: Vodka, ginger beer, and lime.

While preparing a Moscow mule may be easy, your choice of vodka (and even ginger beer) can affect the flavor and quality of this cocktail. Lucky for you, these best vodkas for Moscow mules promise to deliver a unique flavor to said cocktail without breaking the bank.

Stolichnaya

Stolichnaya
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While Moscow mules aren’t actually from Russia, it’s fun to choose a Russian vodka as a star. Stolichnaya dates from the early 1900s and is made from wheat and rye. The Russians know their vodka, and Stoli is a full-bodied spirit with a subtle vanilla character and little burn.

Smirnoff

Smirnoff
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Smirnoff is the brand that led to vodka passing whiskey as America’s most popular spirit in the mid-20th century. Today, Smirnoff is one of the most recognizable vodkas and a solid choice for use in any cocktail thanks to its clean, slightly mineral taste.

Luksusowa

Luksusowa
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Made from potatoes in Poland, Luksusowa vodka adds a bit of creaminess to the body of a Moscow mule. Expect a little minerality in the palate, but Luksusowa is generally a superbly clean vodka and leaves little behind, letting the ginger beer take over.

Fugu Vodka

Fugu Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When the Ballast Point Brewing founders sold their beer brand to Constellation for $1 billion, they managed to keep their distillery. Now Cutwater Spirits, they make an excellent line of spirits that includes Fugu vodka. Fugu is named after the potentially deadly sushi fish, which leaves a nice numbness to the lips when prepared properly — similar to a strong mule.

Reyka Vodka

Reyka Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Made in Iceland from glacial water and energy from geothermal heat, Reyka has more herbal and earthy notes than many other vodkas. Pour in some Reyka for an icy addition to a Moscow mule.

Ocean Vodka

Ocean Vodka 32
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Based in Hawaii, Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery is committed to keeping the world clean. Made with sugar cane and desalinated ocean water, this vodka is clean, with little to no taste and a silky, neutral finish perfect for cocktails.

Highwater Vodka

Highwater Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Highwater Vodka from Jackson Hole Still Works is produced from locally grown corn and oats for a soft, easy vodka — perfect for letting spicy ginger beer shine.

The Liquor Store

Valentine Vodka

Valentine Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Made in Detroit, Valentine Vodka is produced from a blend of grains (corn, wheat, and barley) and is a prime example of the spirit renaissance in the Motor City. Well balanced, it is a great spirit for a variety of cocktails, mules included. Valentine was a runner-up in the Best American Vodka category in 2018’s Spirit Awards.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka 

Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s a reason Tito’s is one of the bestselling vodkas in the country (and the world). It is easy to drink and goes with everything. Tito’s is known for philanthropic work with dogs to boot, which is a big plus in our book.

Prairie Organic Vodka

Prairie Organic Vodka
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Made from organic corn, Prairie Organic is a great option when you’re looking for a smooth vodka that is made from high-quality ingredients. Easy on the palate, the creamy mouthfeel is a great complement to the other bright and spicy ingredients.

Editors' Recommendations

Pat Evans
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Pat Evans is a writer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, focusing on food and beer, spirits, business, and sports. His full…
Should You Try These TikTok Soda Hacks?
Empty Coca-Cola case, Mahamaya Lake.

Balsamic vinegar Coke? Copycat Dr. Pepper? Charlatans for sure, but are these worth giving a shot to help your long-term health?

Sugar crashes and dehydration are just two daily consequences of consistent soda consumption. Drink enough of the sugary stuff long term, and you’ve got to worry about decreased cardiovascular health, obesity, and diabetes (just to name a few possible effects). In fact, an American Diabetes Association study reported that consuming one or more sodas per day increased Type 2 diabetes risk by 67%.

Read more
We Found Some of the Best Rums for a Daiquiri
Daiquiri_2

Classic cocktails are classic for a reason. They’re perfect, plain, and simple. The Old Fashioned. The Manhattan. The Martini. The Daiquiri. These days, people tend to associate the daiquiri with the fruity, absurdly sugary neon-colored drinks of the 90s. In reality, the real-deal traditional daiquiri is just three ingredients: rum, lime juice, and sugar. As simple as it may seem, the daiquiri is greater than the sum of its parts but requires a little thought to balance the flavor of the rum, the acidity of the lime juice, and the sweetness of the sugar syrup into something ethereal.

A properly made daiquiri can turn a bad day into a good one and can transport you from a rainy day to a sunny beach. Among those in the cocktail world, the daiquiri is the king of the classic sours. Born in Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century, the credit goes to an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox, who worked in Santiago de Cuba and liked to entertain his friends with pitchers of rum sour. Eventually, local bartenders took the reins and crafted what we know today.
Classic Daiquiri Recipe

Read more
Blue Apron vs. Home Chef — Which is Best in 2022?
Close up of attractive food on a white plate surrounded by cooking implements.

Plenty of meal kit delivery services are available online. If you love to cook, but you don't really know where to begin and you could do with some inspiration, Blue Apron and Home Chef are likely to look very appealing. Both are popular names in the meal kit delivery world, you might not be sure how to differentiate the two and weigh up which one is best. That's why we've taken a deep dive into what to expect from both meal kit services. Read on while we take you through everything you need to know from how easy they are to use, how interesting and creative their recipes are, and how much you should expect to pay for each service. By the end, you should have an idea of which meal kit delivery service is best for you and your family.
Ease of Use
Potentially, ease of use is the main reason why you're even considering a meal kit delivery service. After all, you're looking for the best in convenience so you can eat well with the least amount of trouble for yourself. Both Blue Apron and Home Chef are very good at focusing on convenience and saving you the effort to plan ahead for yourself or head to the store to buy a plethora of meal ingredients. Meal kit delivery services like these are typically designed to be something that involves less effort than entirely cooking from scratch while also being better for you (and tastier) than buying takeout food all the time. That's why both services are so easy to sign up for. It takes mere seconds to sign up on each site. Both services deliver to the continental U.S. states excluding Hawaii and Alaska and they both let you choose a delivery day based on your zip code. If you have a busy lifestyle, you'll be able to fit these services in fairly easily.

Signing up for Blue Apron starts out with you entering your email address and a password. From there, you can pick out what kind of plan you would benefit most from. Blue Apron offers the choice of picking out meals for either two or four people. Once you've figured that out, you can choose between two, three, or four recipes per week, so there's some flexibility in what you want to do for food the rest of the week. There are three preferences to choose from. These include Signature, Wellness, and Vegetarian, and we'll go into a much deeper look into those later. To sum it up quickly, Signature is the all-rounder package, which is great for omnivores with no dietary preferences. Alternatively, Wellness focuses on carb-conscious and WW-recommended meals for people looking to eat better, while Vegetarian -- you guessed it -- offers up meat-free dishes. It's possible to change plans later on but starting out, you simply move on to entering your payment details and delivery information. Then, you can start adding meals. Blue Apron lays everything out clearly so you know exactly what to expect when it comes to payments each week, as well as know what food you'll be receiving for the week too.

Read more