This cranberry Moscow Mule is the perfect holiday cocktail that puts a unique twist on the traditional Moscow Mule by adding cranberry juice.
When it comes to the holidays, I'm all about cocktails - from a cranberry mimosa to an apple fizz to a chocolate peppermint martini to an apple cider cocktail.
And one ingredient that works great for both Thanksgiving and Christmas is cranberries. With their bright red color and tart flavor, they make for a great mix-in with cocktails.
While red makes you think of Christmas, cranberries are most famous in cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. However they are much more versatile.
And this cranberry Moscow Mule is the perfect vehicle to highlight them. The gingery flavor is the perfect complement to the sweet and tart flavors from the cranberries and lime.
It is both festive looking and refreshing. Oh and super easy to make!
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Ingredient Notes
- Cranberry juice - I like fresh juice where you really get the tartness.
- Vodka - the alcohol in the Moscow Mule. You could also try Irish whiskey to make an Irish Mule version. Use quality vodka like Grey Goose or Belvedere.
- Lime - only freshly-squeeze lime juice. No bottle lime juice.
- Ginger beer - there are a ton of ginger beer options out there, so use your favorite.
Step-by-Step Photos
Pour cranberry juice, vodka and lime juice into a mug filled with crushed ice. Top with ginger beer and stir to combine. Garnish with cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
FAQs
If you believe history, the Moscow Mule was created as a way to get rid of excess vodka and copper mugs. Even if it isn't true, I'm glad it was invented!
If you believe the stories, Moscow was used because of Americans associated vodka with Russia and mule was used because you get a kick of flavor from the ginger beer.
I'm of the opinion to always use quality vodka like Belvedere or Grey Goose.
The main benefit of using copper mugs is temperature. The metal quickly takes to the icy temperature of the cocktail which creates a tasty chilled drink. You can buy copper mugs on Amazon.
Types of Ginger Beer
Luckily for everyone, there is no shortage of options for ginger beers. However, which one to pick for this Moscow Mule?
- Fever-Tree - has a strong ginger flavor without being overpowering.
- Gosling's - nice balance of spice and sweetness.
- Bundaberg - the Australian ginger beer is great for Mules.
- Q Ginger Beer - has some added carbonation.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lime and you’ll notice a difference in taste.
- Used crushed ice which will make the Moscow Mule colder quicker.
- If the drink is too tart, stir in honey or maple syrup 1 teaspoon at a time until it mellows out.
- Garnish the mule with some fresh herbs like rosemary.
Other Cocktails
If you’ve tried this cranberry Moscow Mule or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Cranberry Moscow Mule
Ingredients
- 2 oz cranberry juice
- 2 oz vodka
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 2 oz ginger beer
- fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Pour cranberry juice, vodka and lime juice into a mug filled with crushed ice. Top with ginger beer and stir to combine. Garnish with cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
Notes
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lime and you’ll notice a difference in taste.
- Used crushed ice which will make the Moscow Mule colder quicker.
- If the drink is too tart, stir in honey or maple syrup 1 teaspoon at a time until it mellows out.
- Garnish the mule with some fresh herbs like rosemary.
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