Christmas Mule

If you're looking for a twist on a classic cocktail to spice up your holiday parties and spread some holiday cheer, look no further than the Christmas Mule. This festive cocktail is a tasty twist on a traditional Moscow Mule cocktail recipe. With ginger beer, cranberry, lime and vodka, it's so easy to make and sure to be a holiday hit. Don't skip the fresh rosemary garnish if you can find some -- it makes the whole thing smell like Christmas!

A Christmas Moscow Mule recipe is sometimes called a Yule Mule, a Holiday Mule or a Cranberry Moscow Mule. Whatever you want to call it, it's absolutely delicious and definitely makes for the perfect Christmas cocktail!

Looking for more holiday cheer? Try out the delicious Mistletoe Martini cocktail recipe, creamy Sugar Cookie Eggnog (or traditional Eggnog!), or the Cranberry and Orange Juice Mocktail for a non-alcoholic option.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this festive drink:

• Vodka - I used Tito's vodka in mine, but Grey Goose and Absolut are always solid choices.
• Ginger beer - I used Fever Tree ginger beer, which is my favorite taste-wise. Bundaberg is another great option.
• Cranberry juice - try to use 100% juice if you can find it.
• Lime juice - fresh lime juice will always give you the best flavor.
• Rosemary sprig - this is an optional garnish, but highly recommended because it really brings a lot of Christmas-y flavor.
• Fresh cranberries - optional, for garnish (but they do look great!)
• Slice of lime - optional, for garnish. This is an easy option if you're using fresh lime.

Substitutions

Here are some ways you can substitute the ingredients in this cocktail:

• Vodka - try out white rum or tequila blanco if you're out of vodka. Gin works well here too, and goes great with the rosemary garnish flavor!
• Ginger beer - you can try ginger ale instead. Or, a lemon-lime soda would work in a pinch.
• Cranberry juice - if you can't find any, try using pomegranate juice instead. It's sweeter than cranberry, so you might want to add a little more lime.
• Lime juice - lemon juice works well here too.
• Garnishes - if you don't have the garnishes, you can just omit them. You could add a fresh mint sprig or a sprig of thyme if you don't have the rosemary. Or, try using a piece of candied ginger as the garnish.

Variations

Here are some variations on this recipe:

• Pomegranate: Add a splash of pomegranate juice to the mix, or a little bit of grenadine. You can garnish with some pomegranate arils (the little bits inside the fresh fruit).
• More Rosemary Flavor - you can punch up the rosemary flavor by adding some lemon rosemary syrup to the mix. Keep the syrup to ½ ounce or less, or it will end up being too overpowering.
• Sugared Cranberries - for a sparkly and festive garnish, make some sugared cranberries! Heat them in a simple syrup until the mixture is just at a simmer. Then take them out with a slotted spoon, and let them cool to room temperature before rolling them in granulated sugar. Add three of them to a cocktail pick and rest it on the edge of the copper mug just before serving.
• Non-alcoholic - want to make this into a mocktail? Easy -- just don't use the vodka! You can add some sparkling water instead if you like.
• Keto Friendly - to make this into a more keto-friendly drink, you can just switch out the ginger beer for a sugar-free version. A couple options are Remedy Sugar Free Ginger Beer or Reed's Zero Sugar Ginger Beer. The juice will still have sugar, but if you use 100% cranberry juice it's not a lot ("cranberry cocktail" will have more sugar).

Instructions

To make this drink, start out by cutting a slice of your lime if you're making the lime slice garnish. Cut a slit in the lime slice to attach it to the rim of your mug, and set it aside.

Then, crush your ice. I'm using a Lewis bag here and filling it with ice.

Then, I use a mallet to crush the ice inside the cloth bag. This works so much better than using a zip top bag, because the plastic always tears when you smash it.

Add the crushed ice to the copper mug, and then start to make the drink.

Add the lime juice and cranberry juice to your mug.

Add in the vodka, and then top with the ginger beer. If you have a spoon handy, give it a gentle stir.

Toss in some fresh cranberries for a garnish, and then add in the fresh rosemary. Clap the rosemary between your hands before adding it for the best fragrance.

Add your lime to the rim of the mug, and serve!

Hint: You can chill the mug ahead of time to help the drink stay colder longer. Just keep in mind that the handle will be really cold!

Top tip - Batching

Want to make a big batch of Christmas Moscow Mule cocktails for a holiday party? You can pre-mix the vodka, cranberry juice and lime juice up to an hour before your party, and keep them in a pitcher.

To serve the drinks, fill the serving mug with ice. Then measure out 3½ ounces of the premade mix, and top with a freshly opened ginger beer. Garnish and serve. Happy holidays!