Cranberry Mule
The Cranberry Mule is a fun twist on the more traditional Moscow Mule. Perfect as a Thanksgiving or holiday cocktail, this drink calls for spiced rum (instead of traditional vodka), cranberry juice and ginger beer, then is topped with sugared cranberries as garnish. Makes 1 drink.
Love cranberry cocktails? Give the Citrus Cranberry Sangria and Blizzard Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail a try! Looking for a Cranberry Mule with vodka? Try this Classic Cranberry Mule!
2019 Update: This recipe was originally shared in November 2015. The recipe and post were updated in December 2019. I hope you love this Cranberry Moscow Mule recipe.
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I drank my first Moscow Mule when I was on a photo assignment in Baton Rouge, visiting a hole-in-the-wall bar that offered entirely too many fun cocktails. I don’t drink while working (because duh), but after I was done, the owner insisted I try something.
When I asked what he recommended, he said, “The Moscow Mule.”
And so I was introduced to one of my favorite cocktails.
Fast forward a year or two later, and I was in New Orleans having lunch with a friend at Sylvain. We spotted Mules on the menu and made the executive decision: we were having a cocktail lunch. (Duh.)
When we mentioned these cocktails to our waiter, he asked if we like gin, and we said we did.
So then he suggested getting the Moscow Mule with gin instead of vodka. (Fun fact: this is called a Gin Gin Mule.) And it was delightful and a nice surprise — who knew you could make a mule with something other than vodka?
When I was thinking about drinks to make for Blogsgiving Dinner, I knew I wanted to highlight cranberries and realized it would be really fun to do a Thanksgiving take on the classic Moscow Mule.
So I began tinkering, keeping ginger beer and adding unsweetened cranberry juice, simple syrup and spiced rum. (Because spiced rum and cranberries pair marvelously.)
And so the Thanksgiving Spiced Cranberry Mule came into being.
Why I love this recipe:
It’s hard not to love a festive cocktail that’s easy to mix this time of year.
It tastes festive, thanks in part to the combination of seasonal flavors, like cranberries and spiced rum.
Technically, this is a Cranberry Dark and Stormy (as opposed to a Classic Cranberry Mule or a Yule Mule, which involves vodka and lime juice.)
Whatever you call it, it’s the perfect cocktail to mix for the holiday season. I share how to make a large batch recipe below so that you can mix a bunch of these for a crowd or a party.
Other cocktail recipes that are Mules that we adore: Strawberry Moscow Mule | Apple Cider Moscow Mule | Peach Moscow Mule | Gingerbread Mule | Ginger Pomegranate Mules | Mexican Mule
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Copper Mugs.
- A cocktail shaker (like this Cresimo 24 oz. Cocktail Shaker & Jigger.)
Here is what you need to grab from the grocery store and liquor store:
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
- Unsweetened cranberry juice — I really recommend using 100% cranberry juice here instead of cranberry cocktail because it’s not sweetened and is intensely cranberry-forward and tart. It works beautifully with the rest of the ingredients.
- Ginger beer — this is a more intense version of ginger ale. It’s not a true beer and only contains minimal traces of alcohol (like a kombucha). You could use ginger ale in its place if you want something less intense.
- Spiced rum — for those holiday undertones
- Simple syrup — you can easily make your own on the stovetop or purchase pre-made sugar syrup from the store. Both work.
- Garnishes — sugared cranberries are a stunning garnish that don’t take too much effort. You can also use fresh lime wedges or wheels for color and a pop of acidic tartness.
How to Make a Cranberry Mule
Place a handful of ice in a copper mug (or in a regular glass, your call!)
In a cocktail shaker, measure out the cranberry juice, ginger beer, rum and simple syrup. Add a scoop of ice to the shaker, too. Shake until combined.
Pour the icy cold cocktail over the ice in your prepared mug or glass.
Garnish with sugared cranberries (or regular cranberries if you don’t want to go the sugared route!), and enjoy immediately.
How to Make Large Batch Cranberry Mules in a Pitcher!
What’s more fun than mixing up Cranberry Mules for yourself? Making Large Batch Spiced Cranberry Mules for a crowd!
In a large (at least 2 ½ quarts!) glass pitcher, combine the following:
- 16 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice (do NOT use cranberry cocktail)
- 24 oz. ginger beer
- 12 oz. spiced rum
- 8 oz. simple syrup
Stir with a long cocktail spoon (or a wooden spoon if you don’t have a cocktail spoon long enough.) Add ice or frozen cranberries to keep it cool, and serve.
This makes 8 servings. If your pitcher is larger, you can certainly make 10-12 servings. Just make sure that you leave enough space to add ice or frozen cranberries at the end to keep it cool!
Frequently Asked Questions
Simple syrup is simple to make, and I’ve detailed it in this how to make simple syrup post. If you don’t want to do this, you can purchase it in stores if you don’t have time to make it yourself. (This Stirrings simple syrup is a favorite.)
You can easily double, triple or even half the recipe for simple syrup. It just depends on how much you’ll need to make, and it’s easier to make it in a large batch instead of several small batches.
Fever-Tree is my all-time favorite ginger beer because it offers awesome spice without too much sweetness.
Cranberry cocktail is a sweetened blend of juices while cranberry juice should be 100% unsweetened cranberry juice.
I’ve had good luck finding unsweetened cranberry juice on the shelf-stable juice aisle at grocery stores. If you’re having trouble finding it at your grocery, I would ask someone who works there and see if they can help direct you to it. You can also purchase larger quantities of it online.
The Moscow Mule police are called. 😉 Kidding.
I’ve made several mules over the years that I didn’t serve in mule mugs. While the copper mugs will keep the drinks insulated and chilly for an extended period of time, you don’t have to have them to serve a mule. Promise.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
- Make the sugared cranberries 1-3 days in advance. After they’ve been refrigerated for the second time, they’re significantly less sticky and can be stored in a food storage container in the fridge.
- Purchase your ingredients in advance. There’s nothing more stressful than hosting friends or a party and realizing at the last minute that you’re missing an important ingredient.
- Since these drinks can’t be made in advance, have your tools and ingredients ready to go when guests arrive. You can easily mix ’em up one by one (unless you’re making a batch of mules, in which case, do that earlier!)
- Make a Mule Pitcher, recipe listed above, 1-2 hours in advance of a holiday party. Don’t add the ice, and pop it in the fridge until it’s go time, then let guests serve themselves and add ice to their mugs from an ice basket on your bar.
Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and delicious food. Luckily, the food blogging community is all about these things, as well. To celebrate the holiday, Meghan from Cake ‘n Knife and Susannah from Feast + West are hosting Blogsgiving Dinner. And this year, there are more than 60 blogs sharing recipes this week!
The idea is based on an old-fashioned potluck dinner party.
Each blogger is bringing one or more dishes to the party, so be sure to stop by each one and get some ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal. We’ll be posting to social media with the hashtag #blogsgivingdinner, but you can see all the whole menu in Part 1 and Part 2 of the recipe round-up.
What do these Cranberry Moscow Mules pair well with for a party?
- Cranberry Turkey Puff Pastry Tartlets
- Browned Butter Sage Turkey
- Baked Brie with Cranberry Chutney
- Creamy Cranberry Tart
Now, who’s ready for a cocktail?
Here’s how you can mix one up:
Cranberry Mule
Ingredients
Cranberry Mule
- 2 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice do NOT use cranberry cocktail
- 3 oz. ginger beer
- 1 ½ oz. spiced rum
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- Ice for serving
- Sugared cranberries for garnish
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Instructions
- Scoop a handful of ice in a copper mug.
- Combine the cranberry juice, ginger beer, rum and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake until combined, then pour over ice in the copper mug.
- Serve with sugared cranberries as garnish, and enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
How to Make Large Batch Cranberry Mules in a Pitcher!
In a large (at least 2 ½ quarts!) glass pitcher, combine the following:- 16 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice (do NOT use cranberry cocktail)
- 24 oz. ginger beer
- 12 oz. spiced rum
- 8 oz. simple syrup
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
I’ve never tried this cocktail before but it looks very good. I’m going to make it for my girlfriends on Saturday night.
WOW! Those are gorgeous!!! The sugared cranberries are so festive! I will be making these this holiday season for sure. Thanks for the beautiful post. 🙂
This looks AMAZING! My husband has been looking for a good cocktail to make for Thanksgiving and I’m definitely going to send this to him with a strong hint to make this 🙂
Making these for a ‘signature cocktail’ for a wedding reception tomorrow and doing the cranberries ahead of time. Do you think it’d be okay to store the cranberries in a zip lock overnight? Thanks for the great idea – we love it!
Looks so good!! Making them for friendsgiving tomorrow! What kind of rum do you usually use?
Hi Kayla! We keep Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum in our house, but any spiced rum that you enjoy drinking and that tastes good works here!
I hope that this turns out for you at Friendsgiving, and I look forward to hearing about it!
I made this for Friendsgiving and while I enjoyed it, it definitely had more of a “bite” than we were expecting (though I do have very little tolerance for spicy things in general), and also less cranberry taste than expected. So, I added a bit more cranberry juice and topped it off with some 7-up and it was the perfect Friendsgiving cranberry punch! Thanks for the recipe and inspiration 🙂
So happy to hear this turned out for you, Aly! I love that you rolled with your tastebuds, too. We like drinks with a bit more of a “bite” here, but I know it’s not for everyone, so I’m glad you added some more cranberry (which is never a bad idea!) and some 7-Up to make it work. Cheers to a Friendsgiving punch to share with friends!
I am already scouring the produce section for cranberries so I can make these again this year! They were AMAZING!
These were the hit of every party I attended last year! I am not so patiently waiting for cranberries so I can make them again! SO DARN GOOD!
These cranberry mules were the highlight of our Friendsgiving soiree! Our friends were obsessed – everyone wants to make them again for the holidays. Thank you!!