Sweet and tart, with a spicy ginger kick, this festive cranberry ginger mule will be your new favorite holiday cocktail! It’s a beautiful spin on the classic drink that’s sure to get you in the “spirit” of the season.
Festive Cranberry Ginger Mule
The Moscow mule is one of the most popular cocktails in America right now, and for good reason! They are easy to make, refreshing and delicious. I’m a huge fan of the mule, and I thought it would be fun to put a holiday spin on it by adding a little cranberry simple syrup to the mix. And, just like that, the festive cranberry ginger mule was born. It’s a holiday miracle!
So who came up with that original Moscow mule? The combination of vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime juice is magic, and it also has an interesting history. It turns out that the Moscow mule has nothing to do with Russia, other than that it features vodka. Instead, the story starts at the Cock n’ Bull cocktail lounge in 1940’s Los Angeles. In a perfect confluence of events, a few people with excess inventories met at just the right time. One was marketing Smirnoff vodka, which was not popular in American yet, one was trying to use up an overstock of ginger beer, and one had a girlfriend who sold copper mugs. They got their heads together with an enterprising bartender, and voilà! The Moscow mule was born.
Try making this twist on the original mule for you and your guests this season. The festive cranberry ginger mule will quickly become your new signature holiday cocktail!
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Give Your Mule a Kick
As good as a classic Moscow mule cocktail is, the addition of cranberry simple syrup makes it even better. These mules are good all year round, but especially for the holidays, when fresh cranberries start appearing in the produce section of your grocery store. Using cranberry simple syrup (or cranberry juice) imparts a nice sweet-tart flavor to the ginger bite of the mule. Another nice thing about the simple syrup is that you can make it weeks, if not months, in advance of when you want to use it! And, as the name implies, it’s very simple to make. You can get the instructions here.
In addition to the cranberry simple syrup, you’ll also need vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime for your festive mule. I made some ginger vodka (also super simple!) for an extra ginger kick, but regular vodka works well too.
For the ginger beer, you can get the alcoholic ginger beer from the beer aisle, or the non-alcoholic version in the soda aisle. I think we all know which kind I use.
After you gather your ingredients, your festive cranberry ginger mule is mere minutes away from your taste buds! Just fill your glass with ice (I like crushed ice for this drink), then measure your vodka and cranberry simple syrup into the glass. Top off your glass with ginger beer (about a cup), and finally, squeeze half of a fresh lime on top. All that’s left is to give it a good stir, garnish with cranberries and lime wedges if you’re feeling fancy, and give it a taste! Ahhhh, now that’s what I call festive.
Your New Signature Holiday Cocktail
I like serving the festive cranberry ginger mule in a large, clear glass so you can see the beautiful red color, but if you’re a fan of mules, you’ll know they also taste delicious in the classic Moscow mule copper mugs.
A Few Things for Making Mules
If you are making mules of any kind, or making a gift basket of cranberry simple syrup and glasses for your favorite friends (hint, hint), here are some fun items to consider:
- Copper mugs. A must for any mule fan, plus, they’re just beautiful.
- I love my lime squeezer/press! I use it all the time and have one for lemons and oranges too. They keep the seeds out of what you’re making, and keep the juice off of your hands.
- If you want to show off the ruby red color of this delicious cocktail, use a large clear drinking glass instead of a mug.
Festive Cranberry Ginger Mule
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drinks
Description
Sweet and tart, with a spicy ginger kick, this festive cranberry ginger mule is your new favorite holiday cocktail! It’s a beautiful spin on the classic drink that’s sure to get you in the “spirit” of the season.
Ingredients
Measurements for one drink:
- 1 1/2 oz (1 1/2 jiggers) ginger vodka (or regular vodka)
- 1 oz cranberry simple syrup
- fill the rest of the glass with ginger beer, alcoholic or non-alcoholic
- the juice of 1/2 of a lime, squeezed into the glass
- fresh cranberries and lime wedges for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fill your glass with ice (crushed ice if you have it).
- Add the vodka, cranberry simple syrup and ginger beer to the glass.
- Squeeze 1/2 of a lime into the glass, then stir.
- If you feel extra festive, garnish your festive cranberry ginger mule with a few fresh cranberries and a wedge of lime!
Notes
There are lots of options for your drink!
- You can use ginger or regular vodka
- If you don’t have time to make the cranberry simple syrup, add a splash of 100% cranberry juice instead
- You can use either the Crabbie’s brand alcoholic ginger beer or the non-alcoholic ginger beer you find in the soda aisle.
