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Cocktail History
The Jamaican Mule is a modern cocktail that was created by Jelani Johnson at the Clover Club in New York City, New York. It’s considered a tiki take on the vodka-based classic Moscow Mule that swaps out the base spirit for rum, substitutes a house-made ginger syrup in place of ginger beer, and adds pineapple and bitters to complement the other flavors.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. We used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum because it has a delicious rum flavor with notes of vanilla and baking spices. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. We used fresh pineapple juice.
Angostura Aromatic Bitters: This is a spirit made with botanicals, herbs, water, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters because they’re the go-to aromatic bitters on the market. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the bitters.
Candied Ginger: This is a slice of dried ginger root that has been rolled in sugar.
Lime Slice: This is a slice of lime that has been cut into a half wheel shape.
Orchid Blossom: This is the flower of an orchid plant.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lime and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the Homestia Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Jamaican Mule starts with enticing aromas of ginger plus a spice-forward taste featuring rum and citrus balanced by sweetness from the pineapple and leaves with a lingering ginger spice on the throat.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We’re both big fans of ginger’s spicy tang, so we enjoyed the Jamaican Mule quite a bit. As for if we’d make it again, Kendall could take it or leave it to be honest. It mostly reminded her (and made her crave) Asian food a little too much. Alex though absolutely loved this cocktail and will definitely make it again.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I really liked this cocktail! I’ve been a fan of any and all kinds of Mules since they became mainstream, but this one is obviously a little different since it doesn’t use classic ginger beer and instead adds ginger flavor through a syrup while omitting bubbles altogether. The result is an experience that embodies tiki with its blend of Polynesian flavors and turns the Mule formula into a more spirit-forward drink. I definitely enjoyed it to the last drop.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This cocktail is tiki with an Asian kick! Ginger is definitely the most prevalent flavor, which to be honest had me wanting Asian food after a few sips. Overall, I found the Jamaican Mule to certainly be delicious and spicy and different, but I don’t see myself drinking it again. I think I still prefer the more traditional tiki cocktails made with a bit less ginger.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
Add rum, ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a highball glass or tiki glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with candied ginger, lime wheel, and orchid blossom.
Ingredients
Directions
Add rum, ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a highball glass or tiki glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with candied ginger, lime wheel, and orchid blossom.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic White Cane Spirit in place of the white rum and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Shop Glassware & Tools
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More Tiki Cocktails
If you like this tiki cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Ginger Inferno: A rum cocktail made with ginger liqueur, velvet falernum liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, a lime slice, and candied ginger
Staycation: A rum and whiskey cocktail made with coconut cream, lemon juice, apricot liqueur, passion fruit syrup, a lemon slice, and mint
Iron Ranger (Variation): A whiskey cocktail made with pineapple juice, lemon juice, velvet falernum liqueur, cinnamon syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, mint, and a cinnamon stick
Elusive Dreams: A rum cocktail made with pineapple juice, lime juice, cinnamon syrup, banana liqueur, and a pineapple wedge
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