Berry Basil Moscow Mules

Name: Berry Basil Moscow Mules
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup raspberries, divided; 3/4 cup blackberries, divided; 3 oz freshly squeezed lime juice; 6 oz vodka; 3 oz basil simple syrup (see below); 12 oz ginger beer; 8 fresh large basil leaves, torn or chopped into smaller pieces; 4 sprigs of basil for garnish; ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup water; ½ cup fresh basil

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Our Berry Moscow Mules are a refreshing twist on a classic. We combined fresh blackberries and raspberries with a homemade basil simple syrup and ginger beer to create a delicious and refreshing summer cocktail that you'll love!

close up side view of berry basil moscow mules garnished with basil and raspberries on wood table.

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🍹 Why We Love This Recipe
🍓 Ingredients
📋 Ingredient Notes
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

🍹 Why We Love This Recipe

Summer fruit: Blackberries and raspberries provide a fresh summery flavor. They're not overly sweet and provide a nice tartness that works well with the sweetness and spiciness of ginger beer, plus the herbaceous flavor of basil.
Super refreshing: The fresh, floral, slightly sweet herbal flavor of basil helps to round out these berry moscow mules, and makes the drink super refreshing. It's perfect for a hot summer day!
Twist on a classic: Regular Moscow mules are great, but they can get boring. This recipe provides a twist on a classic to help keep things interesting and makes great use of summer produce!

🍓 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make these Basil Berry Moscow Mules:

📋 Ingredient Notes

Ginger beer: Make sure to use ginger beer, not ginger ale here. Bundaberg, Gosling's, and Q Mixers are all good, reliable brands. If you're unfamiliar with ginger beer, it's non-alcoholic and is essentially much more intense than ginger ale. If you're not a fan of ginger beer (or can't find any), you can sub with sparkling water in a pinch.
Be sure to use fresh everything: You'll get the best results using fresh basil, freshly squeezed lime juice, and fresh berries. Trust us, it's worth it!
Vodka: any variety will do here, including berry-flavored versions of your favorite vodka. You don't have to splurge on something fancy since you're adding other ingredients, but as a general rule of thumb, the better the alcohol, the better your cocktail will taste. (In other words, skip the super cheap stuff you drank in college!)
Basil simple syrup: this is super easy to make in just a few steps and really takes these berry moscow mules to the next level. However, if you're short on time, feel free to sub with plain simple syrup and simply add more basil to the recipe for added flavor.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup of water to a pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Add ½ cup basil leaves, turn the heat down and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and remove from the burner.

Let the simple syrup sit for 25 to 30 minutes. Then pour through a strainer to remove basil leaves.

close up view of basil simple syrup in pot.

(2) Add ½ cup each of raspberries and blackberries to a cocktail shaker with 8 large torn basil leaves and lime juice.

(3) Muddle the berries, basil and lime juice to release as much of the juice as possible from the berries. When done, it should almost look like a loose jam.

before and after muddling berries and basil in cocktail shaker.

(4) Fill the shaker half full with ice, vodka, and our basil simple syrup and shake well for a slow count of 15-20. Use a strainer to pour mixture out of the cocktail shaker.

If you want a cocktail without berry pulp, you can pour into a fine mesh sieve and use a spoon to help squeeze the liquid through.

(5) Add 4 raspberries and 4 blackberries to each glass and muddle.

on the left: ingredients for berry basil moscow mules in cocktail shaker with ice. on the right: muddled berries in cocktail glass.

(6) Add ice to each glass. Pour 5 oz of berry vodka mixture into each glass. Top with 3 oz of ginger beer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

overhead view of berry basil moscow mules garnished with basil and raspberries on wood table.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

Pack in basil leaves: When measuring your ½ cup of basil leaves, be sure to pack the leaves tightly in the measuring cup in order to get the proper measurement.
Keep it fresh: freshly squeezed lime juice makes a huge difference in these berry moscow mules. Bottled citrus juice often contains additives and preservatives, so the flavor isn't nearly as fresh or tart.
Sub in other berries: Not crazy about blackberries or raspberries? Feel free to sub these out for blueberries, strawberries, cherries or another seasonal fruit of choice.

What is a cocktail muddler?

A muddler is essentially used like a pestle to mash cocktail ingredients at the bottom of a glass to release their flavors. It's typically used for fruits, herbs and spices.

They're typically made out of wood, stainless steel or stone and have a long thin handle so they can reach the bottom of a tall glass or cocktail shaker.

How do I muddle?

Muddling is basically gentle mashing that helps to break down an ingredient and release its flavors. Just put the ingredient you're muddling into a (very durable) glass or cocktail shaker, and mash gently a few times. You don't have to obliterate the ingredient, just mash it enough to break it down slightly.

What can you use in place of a muddler?

A wooden spoon is probably the best alternative. You can also use any kind of wooden dowel or even a traditional mortar and pestle.

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