Cheers | Cranberry Mule.

I was a little late to the Mule Party because I was under the most mistaken impression that Mules were vodka drinks. But once I tried one with gin, and found a spicy ginger beer (that comes in diet!) ... well, it's now a favorite.

For warm weather mules, I use lemon juice, gin and ginger beer (the classic recipe uses lime juice, vodka and ginger beer). With the holidays approaching, I started looking for something that wasn't quite so citrusy. I found a delicious recipe that uses apple cider in place of some of the citrus (of course I substituted gin for the vodka, but I kept the lime). And then I started looking for one with cranberry. This one fit the bill - and it's so pretty! - but it was too sweet (and I never even made those sugared cranberries). I tinkered a bit and tried out my much simpler version with Karen this week. We agree - it's a winner!

Cranberry Mule
(inspired by Home Sweet Jones)

1/2 oz rosemary simple syrup*
1/2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
1-1/2 oz gin (or vodka)
3 oz ginger beer
lime wedge

Fill a glass with ice. Combine first three ingredients, and pour over ice. Top with ginger beer. Squeeze in the lime wedge and then it add to the glass. Stir just to combine.

*I like a not-so-sweet syrup - 2 parts water to 1 part sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, I take the pan off the heat and add a few rosemary sprigs. Once the syrup cools, I remove the rosemary. This syrup keeps in the refrigerator for weeks. It's also quite nice with prosecco and little splash of spiced pear liqueur.