Red Mule Mug & Cocktail Shaker

The Red Mule Mug & Cocktail Shaker is Esplanda-branded barware. It pairs a mug, named for the Moscow Mule, with a shaker, so one product covers the build and the pour for a mule-style drink. The listing doesn't give capacity, material or finish, so check the product photos and dimensions before you plan batch sizes or what to put in it. A mule-style drink is the obvious first use. The usual build is vodka, fresh lime juice and a sharp, spicy ginger beer over ice. Bourbon (a Kentucky Mule), dark rum (a Dark 'n' Stormy variant) and tequila (a Mexican Mule) all work on the same template. Shake the spirit and lime with ice in the shaker first, then strain into the mug over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. Keep the ginger beer out of the shaker, because shaking it will make it foam and go flat. Add a lime wedge, and mint if you like. The shaker also handles drinks that don't use the mug. Sours, daiquiris, margaritas and anything else built on citrus, spirit and sweetener benefit from a hard shake over ice until the outside of the tin or vessel turns cold. Strain those into a chilled coupe or over a large cube in a rocks glass. For the mug, fill it with ice before pouring, since mule drinks are served very cold and the ice keeps the ginger beer fizzy. Chilling the mug in the freezer for a few minutes beforehand helps, provided the material is freezer-safe. Wash it by hand and dry it right away, as the care label for the specific material is the better guide.