Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces cranberry juice
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Ginger beer to top off
- Lime wheel, rosemary sprig, and fresh whole cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a copper mug, add ice, vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice.
- Top off with ginger beer.
- Garnish with lime wheel, rosemary sprig, and cranberries.
Variations and Substitutions
This riff on the Moscow mule has room to really punch up flavors or swap some ingredients around to make the best cranberry Moscow mule for you.
- Use cranberry-infused vodka and skip the cranberry juice if you want more room in your cup for ginger beer.
- Try ginger-infused vodka for a spicier bite.
- Substitute Pink Whitney and skip the lime juice.
- Try crushed ice for a frosted mug.
- Use spiced rum for a richer taste.
- Try unsweetened cranberry juice for a tarter cocktail.
- Add a splash of cranberry liqueur for a stronger flavor.
Garnishes
Garnishes are an important part of any cocktail. They can ultimately influence and alter the look, taste, and aroma a cocktail offers.
- Pierce three whole cranberries on a cocktail skewer.
- Use a rosemary sprig for a festive touch.
- Consider a lime twist for a new look.
- Add a dehydrated lime wheel.
About the Cranberry Moscow Mule
The exact birth of the cranberry Moscow mule is unknown, but its popularity is just getting started. The standard Moscow mule has been around for a while with a few different origin stories in circulation. One origin story suggests that in the 1940s, a few vendors with unique items had trouble getting people to buy them--vodka, ginger beer and copper mugs--so they all got together to create a spicy yet strong drink that brought the three things together. The rest, as they say, is history. They named their creation the Moscow Mule--Moscow because Americans at the time associated vodka with Russia, and mule because of the kick from the ginger beer. Some even suggest that the Moscow mule is what made vodka finally popular in the post-Prohibition gin-focused US.
As for cranberries--who knows who first added that flavor to a mule, but the tart fruity flavors of the cranberries are the perfect foil for ginger beer's infamous bite and kick. The result is a delicious twist on the original.
Tart and Spicy: The Best of the Moscow Mules
The cranberry Moscow mule is a fabulous and noteworthy combination of flavors, each with its own strong personality that works cohesively to create this riff. Easy to mix up in single servings or several at once, the cranberry Moscow mule is a surefire way to enjoy a creative spin on the classic.
