Cranberry Moscow Mule

This Cranberry Moscow Mule cocktail combines the tartness of cranberry with the spicy sweetness of a homemade cinnamon simple syrup to create the perfect holiday cocktail. Topped with fizzy ginger beer, this mule is perfect for enjoying with friends and family.

🥃 Why We Love This Recipe

• Perfect for fall/winter holidays: this cranberry Moscow mule is the perfect Christmas or Thanksgiving cocktail. Especially garnished with rosemary, it's super festive and makes for an impressive holiday drink!
• Quick and easy: With just a few easy-to-find ingredients, this cocktail is super easy to whip up. We especially like to make the simple syrup ahead of time to cut down on prep.
• Well balanced: This mule combines the tartness of cranberry with the spice of ginger beer and cinnamon, and is rounded out with a hint of sweetness from the simple syrup. Lime juice adds the perfect amount of acidity, and of course vodka is the main act when it comes to liquor!

🍶 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this cranberry moscow mule:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Cranberry juice: This should be fairly easy to find in your grocery store, likely right next to the apple juice. We typically opt for unsweetened in this cranberry Moscow mule. If you don't like the tartness, you can either just use sweetened cranberry juice, or cut it with a little extra simple syrup.
• Lime juice: Freshly squeezed will always taste best in a cocktail – trust us!
• Ginger beer: Using a high quality ginger beer (like Goslings) will elevate the quality and flavor of this Moscow mule. Lower quality ginger beer can be super sweet and lacking in flavor. Some ginger beer contains alcohol, but we use nonalcoholic version. Either is fine for this recipe.
• Vodka: you don't have to use a super high quality vodka since it's masked by so many other ingredients. That being said, don't use something super low quality – you'll be able to taste it!
• Cinnamon simple syrup: sure, regular simple syrup is fine, but this cinnamon simple syrup is only 3 ingredients (water, sugar, cinnamon sticks), SO easy to make, and adds so much to these cranberry moscow mules. Cinnamon has such a delicious spicy/sweet flavor that really elevates your drink, and you can use leftover syrup in just about any other fall/winter cocktail!

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

These cranberry Moscow mules couldn't be any easier to make:

(1) In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and water, then add a cinnamon stick and bring to a boil for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the simple syrup sit for 30 minutes, then remove the cinnamon stick.

(2) In a cocktail shaker half filled with ice, add vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and cinnamon simple syrup.

(3) Shake well and pour into a glass/copper mug filled with ice, then top with 2-3 oz of ginger beer.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Make ahead for a party: You can make the simple syrup and the base of the cocktail mixture (everything except the ginger beer) ahead of time. When ready to serve, stir/whisk well, pour into each glass and top off with ginger beer.
• How to store simple syrup: store leftover cinnamon simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It's delicious in this cranberry orange whiskey cocktail or this hot apple cider cocktail!
• Keep it fresh: freshly squeezed lime juice makes a huge difference in these cranberry Moscow mules. Bottled citrus juice often contains additives and preservatives, so the flavor isn't nearly as fresh or tart.
• Garnishes: fresh cranberries add a nice pop of tartness and sweetness to these mules, but they're totally optional. We also love to garnish with an herb sprig. Just about anything will do – we like rosemary, mint, thyme or sage.
• How to make crushed ice: add ice cubes to a plastic bag, seal, wrap in a clean towel and use a rolling pin or mallet to crush.

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