Make McDonald's Chicken Nuggets Feel Like A Luxury Meal With This Iconic Cocktail

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As far as fast food chicken nuggets are concerned, McDonald's chicken nuggets are about as iconic as its french fries. The nuggets contain a whopping 30 ingredients, most of which contribute to their uniquely rough and crispy breading. And while you'd probably pair them with various different McDonald's dipping sauces, a cocktail pairing will turn fast food into a luxury meal.

The perfect boozy accompaniment to your next order of McNuggets is a Moscow Mule. Born out of a brilliant marketing campaign to sell newly debuted ginger beer and vodka brands back in the '40s, the Moscow Mule has become a favorite amongst the classic cocktails. A simple blend of neutral vodka, ginger ale, and lime juice, Moscow Mules are refreshing, tangy, subtly sweet, and spicy. Considering tangy and sweet barbecue sauce and spicy buffalo sauces are some of the best dipping sauces to complement the savoriness of chicken nuggets, the sweet, spicy, and tangy trifecta of a Moscow Mule is spot on. The high acidity and citric tang from the lime juice cuts through the richness of oily, fried foods, the ginger beer brings a spicy and aromatic element to enhance the chicken's flavor. Plus, considering we usually drink sodas with our fast food meal, you already know that the bubbly carbonation from the ginger beer is the crisp finish your sip needs between bites of nuggets. Furthermore, ginger is a longstanding indigestion remedy, so a Moscow Mule could prevent an upset stomach after indulging in heavy, fried nuggets.

While a classic Moscow Mule is the easy, 3-ingredient cocktail that will pair perfectly with McDonald's chicken nuggets, you can still get creative. There's a diverse array of Moscow Mules that swap or add ingredients while still offering a tangy, sweet, spicy, and carbonated profile to go with the McNuggets. If you want to spice up your Moscow Mule, for example, you can muddle in some fresh jalapenos and ginger into the lime juice before topping with vodka and ginger ale. Another way to bring a spicier bite to a Moscow Mule is by swapping the vodka for a spicy tequila blanco. You can amp up the citric flavors with a dash of triple sec to convert the Moscow Mule into a Mexican Mule. A Dark 'N Stormy would also be a great alternative to a Moscow Mule for rum lovers.

Whichever variation you choose, ginger ale is the common denominator, and not all bottles are created equally. We tasted and ranked 14 different ginger ales, and Vernors Ginger Ale topped our list. That said, if you want a more mainstream, widely available brand, Seagram's Ginger Ale came in third. After coupling Moscow Mules with your next McDonald's order, you can mix another Moscow Mule for your next order of Thai takeout. Pad Thai is yet another underrated food pairing for this classic cocktail.