SMIRNOFF™ Vodka Celebrates 75 Years Since Co-Creating the Moscow Mule

NORWALK, Conn., July 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cocktail trends come and go, but no vodka cocktail is more iconic than the Moscow Mule. Today, cocktail menus across America feature the Moscow Mule and creative variations of the recipe—but there's only one original. As the co-creators of the original Moscow Mule in 1941, SMIRNOFF™ vodka and Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer are celebrating seventy-five years of America's first vodka cocktail.

In the late 1930s, John G. Martin was the president of an American alcohol company, Heublein, which owned the rights to SMIRNOFF™ vodka. One historic day seventy-five years ago, in 1941, Martin sat at the bar of The Cock'n Bull, an iconic pub on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, with owner Jack Morgan. At a time when brown spirits were king, Martin was struggling to market his newly acquired vodka to American palates. Morgan, too, had a dilemma: few people cared for or even knew about his ginger beer. Martin and Morgan made cocktail history when they created a solution to sell both products by combining SMIRNOFF™ No. 21 vodka with Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer and a spritz of lime in a copper mug. This was the world's first Moscow Mule.

Following the creation of the cocktail at The Cock'n Bull, Martin travelled to bars around the United States encouraging bartenders to make a Moscow Mule, giving each of them an instant photograph of themselves with the final creation. Martin took a copy of the instant photograph on to the next bar, encouraging other bartenders to make the cocktail and eventually sparking a frenzy for the Moscow Mule across the country.

"In only a few short years, the Moscow Mule took America by storm and gained popularity in cocktail culture, paving the way for many other popular mixed vodka drinks including the Screwdriver, the Bloody Mary, the Gimlet and more," said Jay Sethi, Vice President of Marketing, SMIRNOFF™. "Today, 75 years later, the Moscow Mule is experiencing a comeback as one of the most popular cocktails in the U.S., and naturally, the makers of SMIRNOFF™ vodka are celebrating."

To kick off the celebration of this milestone anniversary, SMIRNOFF™ hosted a series of immersive dinners at the 14^th Annual Tales of the Cocktail, one of America's premier spirits festivals that highlighted the Moscow Mule during an annual cocktail competition. Throughout the evening, invited guests of legal drinking age were transported back in time to experience the story of the Moscow Mule in a pop-up restaurant modelled on the historic meeting between John G. Martin and Jack Morgan. Guests responsibly sampled original Moscow Mules, made with SMIRNOFF™ No. 21 vodka and Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer.

"Any mixologist or bartender can make a Moscow Mule," said Daniel Meyers, President of C-B Beverage Corp., owners of Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer. "But it's not an original Moscow Mule unless it's made with the zesty combination of SMIRNOFF™ vodka and Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer."

For 150 years, the SMIRNOFF™ brand has been enjoyed by legal drinking age consumers around the world, but it wasn't until the Moscow Mule was created that vodka became a popular spirit in the United States. The mixability of SMIRNOFF™ vodka and its quality have inspired other vodka varieties across the globe and served as the basis for popularizing some of the world's most famous cocktails.

No matter when or where you craft an original Moscow Mule to commemorate this tremendous milestone, please remember to always enjoy it in a copper mug and drink responsibly.

About SMIRNOFF
The SMIRNOFF brand, the world's number-one selling vodka, traces its heritage back to 19th century Russia. SMIRNOFF has always been known for quality and is enjoyed responsibly in 130 countries around the world. For more information, log on to www.smirnoff.com.

About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About Cock'n Bull^®
Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer's history goes back 75 years to the creation of the popular Moscow Mule cocktail in 1941. Today, Cock'n Bull^® Ginger Beer can be purchased at retail locations across the country. For more information, visit www.cocknbull.us.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jim Sias
Diageo
[e-mail]
646-223-2305

Courtney Dinkelacker
Taylor
[e-mail]
704-644-6929

Stephanie Cotts
Caring Marketing / Cock'n Bull^®
[e-mail]
740-641-3163

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