A Toronto Chain Restaurant Won’t Have Moscow Mules On The Menu & Here’s Why
They're now called Kyiv Mules.
Gabby's on King Street, Right: The Kyiv Mule sticker featured on the menu.
A chain of restaurants in Toronto will no longer have Moscow Mules on their menu.
"It's not about stopping serving Moscow Mules, it's more about just attempting to raise some money for the Red Cross," Jesse (who preferred not to share his last name) from Gabby's told Narcity on the phone.
A traditional Moscow Mule is mixed up with some vodka, lime juice and ginger beer, and is usually poured inside of a copper mug. Despite its name, the cocktail was actually invented in the early 1940s at a New York City hotel, Newsweek reports.
Gabby's announced they'll now be serving Kyiv Mules in place of Moscow Mules on Instagram on March 5, which will be crafted with Absolut Vodka — a Swedish product.
"We have the utmost respect to our employees and customers that are of Russian descent. At this time, we have made the decision to stop ordering Russian products at our establishment and we will no longer be serving Moscow mules," the Instagram post reads.
As of February 25, the LCBO also made the call to remove all Russian products from all of their stores in order to show support for Ukraine.
"We understand this is of little to no consequence to the brave people of Ukraine who are making the ultimate sacrifice, we hope it's all part of a bigger message," Gabby's said in their social media post.
With each Kyiv Mule that's sold, a portion of the proceeds will be automatically donated directly to the Canadian Red Cross' Ukraine efforts called Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal, which is linked on the restaurant's IG bio.
On top of the automatic donation tied to the Kyiv Mule, diners can also choose to add a donation to their overall bill, too, which will also be displayed on the cheque.
District Eatery is also switching the name from Moscow Mule to Kyiv Mule on their menus.
As well, other restaurants throughout the 6ix have shown their support for Ukraine, with some contributing a portion (or all) of their sales to charities that help the country or by setting up donation boxes.