Iced Cranberry Mules
A pitcher-batch mule with cranberry, lime and homemade ginger syrup over crushed ice, topped with ginger beer at the last second.
Servings: 8 drinks
Ingredients
Ginger syrup (makes about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 cup fresh ginger thinly sliced, about 4 ounces
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Pitcher base
- 2 cups vodka 16 ounces
- 2 cups cranberry juice 16 ounces
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 4 ounces
- 2 tablespoons ginger syrup plus 2 teaspoons, from above, or to taste
To serve
- 4 cups ginger beer 32 ounces, chilled
- crushed ice
- sugared cranberries, lime wheels and rosemary sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Make the ginger syrup. Warm the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the sliced ginger, partially cover and simmer gently 15 minutes. Take it off the heat, cover and steep 20 to 30 minutes, then strain into a clean jar and chill.
- Batch the base. Stir the vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice and ginger syrup together in a pitcher. Taste and add more syrup if you want it sweeter, then refrigerate until cold.
- Build the drinks. Fill copper mugs or glasses to the top with crushed ice, then add a generous 1/2 cup, about 4 1/2 ounces, of the base to each.
- Top with ginger beer. Pour about 1/2 cup over each and stir once. Add it at the last minute so the drinks stay fizzy.
- Garnish. Finish each mug with sugared cranberries, a lime wheel and a sprig of rosemary.
Notes
Single drink: 2 ounces vodka, 2 ounces cranberry juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice and 1 teaspoon ginger syrup, topped with 4 ounces ginger beer.
Ginger beer, not ginger ale. Ginger ale is sweet and mild, and the drink falls flat without the bite.
The syrup makes extra on purpose. It is the same one used in my Fall Sangria, so one batch covers both. It keeps about 2 weeks refrigerated.
Crushed ice matters. It chills faster and keeps the drink cold through the whole mug.
Nutrition
Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 40mg | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 5mg