Cranberry Moscow Mule is a festive fizzy cocktail made with cranberry juice, vodka, fresh lime, and spicy ginger beer. A perfect combination of sweet and tart, it's a great drink for the holiday season. Here's a 5-minute recipe for the classic cocktail, and a low-carb variation with one simple switch.
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What is Cranberry Moscow Mule
Cranberry Moscow Mule is a vibrant and refreshing cocktail made with 100% cranberry juice, vodka, fresh lime juice, and spicy ginger beer, typically served chilled in a copper mug. It's a holiday variation of a classic and extremely popular Moscow mule cocktail.
This drink is a must-have on my holiday entertainment menu. Since hubby and I prefer to watch the sugar in our drinks, I also developed a lower-carb variation. Today, I'm sharing both recipes -- I hope you try them and love them! Let's get started!
Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
Here's what you need to make a fantastic regular or Low-Carb Cranberry Moscow Mule:
- Cranberry Juice: I use 100% Cranberry Juice in this recipe. Note that this is NOT the same as a Cranberry Juice Cocktail or Juice made from concentrate. Those two are way sweeter and have much higher carbs.
- Vodka: It ain't no Mule without Vodka, right? I like using Grey Goose brand, but since this is a mixed drink, use your favorite brand of 'unflavored' Vodka
- Ginger Beer: Use your favorite brand of ginger beer. For the low-carb version, use diet ginger beer, but if you cannot find it, use diet ginger ale instead.
- Lime Juice: Adds a zing to this cocktail! Use fresh lime juice since the bottled juice doesn't do justice to this drink.
- Garnish: Lime slices and fresh cranberries make this drink look festive and pretty, but they are optional.
- Fresh Ginger (Optional): For an extra kick of ginger.
Flavor Tip: If you really want that 'kick' from ginger, I would grate half a teaspoon of ginger and squeeze a few drops of its juice in each glass.
How to Make Cranberry Moscow Mule
Moscow Mule is an incredibly easy cocktail with a high wow factor. Here are the step-by-step Instructions for this easy cocktail:
- Take a Moscow Mule copper mug or a cocktail glass, and fill it with ice, about halfway, or as per your preference.
- Add cranberry Juice, vodka, ginger beer, or diet ginger beer for low-carb, and lime juice, and stir for a few seconds. Stirring gives the ingredients a chance to mix well and chill at the same time.
- Garnish with lime slices and fresh cranberries, and enjoy!
Make It Ahead For Parties (Pitcher)
Here's what I do when I am making Cranberry Moscow Mule Pitcher for a Crowd:
- I mix vodka, lime juice and cranberry juice for the desired quantity and refrigerate in a pitcher.
- When my guests arrive, I add chilled ginger beer (or diet ginger beer) and stir a few times to mix everything.
- Pour ice into glasses and pour the drink over it. Garnish with lime slices and cranberries.
Low Carb Mule vs. Classic Mule
I keep experimenting with low-carb versions of my favorite drinks so I can enjoy them while on my carb-conscious diet.
A regular Cranberry Moscow Mule has about 15 grams of net carbs, with 9 grams from Ginger beer. In the low-carb variation, I switched ginger beer with diet ginger beer or diet ginger ale, and that did the trick. Here's more information on the carb comparison between the two:
| Regular Mule | Low-Carb Mule | |
|---|---|---|
| Net Carbs | 15 grams | 4 grams |
Here's the carb distribution of the low-carb variation:
- Carbs in Cranberry Juice: Different brands have different carbohydrate content. I buy Trader Joe's brand that has the lowest carbs I have seen so far. 8 oz cranberry juice has 16 grams of net carbs. We need 1.5 oz per drink, which means 3 grams of net carbs per drink from cranberry juice.
- Lime juice has 1 gram of net carbs, which makes the total net carbs = 4 grams per drink. This number may vary between 4-6 grams depending on different brands of cranberry juice.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Cranberry Juice- I use 100% Cranberry Juice in this recipe. Check the label carefully to ensure it's NOT a Cranberry Juice Cocktail or Juice made from concentrate. Those two are sweeter and have much higher carbs.
- Carbs in Cranberry Juice: Different brands have different carbohydrate content. If monitoring carbs, always check and compare a few brands to see which one has the lowest count.
- Vodka: For best results, use unflavored Vodka in this recipe.
- Ice: If you don't like ice in your drinks, use a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice (to chill), add vodka, cranberry juice, and lime, and shake a few times. This chills the drink. Pour the drink into a cocktail glass versus a copper mug, then top off with ginger beer. Stir a few times to mix everything.
- Cranberry Moscow Mule for a large group: You can mix vodka, lime juice and cranberry juice for the desired quantity and refrigerate in a pitcher. When your guests arrive, add chilled ginger beer and stir a few times to mix everything. Pour ice into glasses and pour the drink over it. Garnish with lime slices and cranberries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Frankly, it's more a marketing gimmick than a significant scientific reason. Serve it in whatever glass you like: highballs, cocktail glasses, copper mugs.
Traditionally, Moscow Mule is made with ginger beer, which is a ginger-spiced soda. If you cannot find ginger beer, you can use ginger ale instead, which is slightly sweeter and less spicy than ginger beer. Since the cranberry juice is tart, it balances the 'slightly sweeter' ginger ale really well.
Vodka is the traditional choice for the Moscow mule.
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Moscow Mule (Regular & Low Carb)
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Ingredients
Low-Carb Cranberry Moscow Mule
- 1.5 oz 100% cranberry Juice (not from concentrate, I get Trader Joe's brand)
- 1.5 oz Vodka (I use Grey Goose)
- 3 oz Diet Ginger Ale Canada Dry Brand, or Diet Ginger Beer
- 1¾ teaspoon lime juice fresh, about 0.3 oz
Classic Cranberry Moscow Mule
- 1½ ounce 100% cranberry Juice (not from concentrate, I get Trader Joe's brand)
- 1½ ounce vodka I use Grey Goose
- 3 ounce ginger beer (non-alcoholic)
- 1¾ teaspoons fresh lime juice about 0.3 oz
Instructions
- Take a Moscow Mule Mug or a cocktail glass and fill it with ice, about half way, or as per your preference.
- Add cranberry Juice, vodka, ginger beer or diet ginger ale, and lime juice. Stir well for a few seconds so the ingredients a chance to mix well and chill at the same time.
- Garnish with lime slices and fresh cranberries and enjoy!
Notes
- Cranberry Juice- I use 100% Cranberry Juice in this recipe. Check the label carefully to make sure it's NOT a Cranberry Juice Cocktail or Juice made from concentrate. Those two are sweeter and have much higher carbs.
- Carbs in Cranberry Juice: Different brands have different carbohydrate content. if monitoring carbs, always check and compare a few brands to see which one has the lowest count.
- Vodka: For best results, use unflavored Vodka in this recipe.
- Ice: If you don't like ice in your drinks, use a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice (to chill), add vodka, cranberry juice, lime, and shake a few times. This chills the drink. Pour the drink in a cocktail glass versus a copper mug, then top off with ginger beer. Stir a few times to mix everything.
- Cranberry Moscow Mule for a large group: You can mix vodka, lime juice and
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