This easy Raspberry Mule recipe is sweet and tart, a perfect summer twist on the classic moscow mule. A small handful of raspberries, sugar, zesty lime juice, a shot of vodka, and fizzy ginger beer are all you need! This post also has instructions on making a full pitcher to serve a crowd, along with info on how to make it into a mocktail.
Love a fruity and refreshing drink? Try this bubbly Sparkling Pink Lemonade, a delicious and refreshing Strawberry Gin Smash, or y'all's favorite year over year: the Blackberry Bourbon Smash!
Easy Summer Raspberry Mule Cocktail
It's finally the time of the year that means you can find me at the farmers' market, grabbing as many pots of berries as I can with one hand and holding a cup of lemonade from our lovely Amish pie vendor's children in the other, while the bead jewelry vendor plays the 90's, aughts, and today's station from their stall. It's a vibe, honey.
We are bringing a fun twist on the traditional moscow mule today, bursting with juicy raspberry flavor. A cocktail that's the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, and spicy, ice cold in a copper cup for those especially hot days.
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Let's Talk Raspberry Simple Syrup
I know what you're thinking, "how do we enjoy it without all those damn seeds?" Because raspberries do have a wild amount of seeds, right?
We are making a homemade raspberry syrup, adding to the Simple Syrup Star Line Up that's in my cocktails (we're talking blueberry, strawberry syrup, a lemon herb syrup... I mean, I have a ton of them!).
And simple syrups are just so easy to make, they're the ideal way to add a little sweetness into our drinks without having a ton of undissolved sugar at the bottom of your glass.
Between that spicy ginger beer and the sweet raspberry syrup, this may end up being The Cocktail of the Summer this year!
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Raspberry Simple Syrup
- Fresh Raspberries - if they're in season grab 'em by the handful! If not, frozen raspberries work perfectly.
- Water and Granulated Sugar - to make our simple syrup. It's just equal parts water + sugar!
For our Moscow Mule
- Ginger Beer - this is a non-alcoholic carbonated drink with a ginger flavor that is powerfully spicy. Sometimes they are so spicy you'll end up coughing! My favorite brands of ginger beer that won't end up being too bold are Fever Tree and Goslings.
- Your Favorite Vodka
- Lime Juice - I recommend fresh lime juice over bottled. The bottled juice is really sour and bitter compared to the fresh stuff!
How to Make a Raspberry Mule
Step 1 | Make raspberry syrup! Simmer the whole raspberries with sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Then strain it through a small fine mesh strainer, to catch the pulp and seeds, into a heat-safe container and put the container in the fridge to chill. You can make this weeks in advance, it lasts for 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge!
Step 2 | Make the mules. Grab some frosty copper mule mugs or any other glass and put in the ice, then mix in the raspberry syrup and lime juice.
Top with vodka and the non-alcoholic ginger beer and give a stir. Garnish the raspberry moscow mule with fresh raspberries, a slice of lime, and a big ole sprig of mint, if desired.
Raspberry Moscow Mules for a Crowd
With warm weather also comes cookouts and parties, so here's how to make this cocktail ahead of time and in a large patch for pitchers:
Make 1 ½ cups of raspberry simple syrup and mix it with ⅓ cup lime juice and 1 ¼ cup of vodka in your pitcher. You can do this the day before, cover the pitcher with plastic wrap or a lid and keep the mix in the fridge.
Right before serving, pour in 24 ounces of your favorite ginger beer. Then add in ice to fill the pitcher to the top. Serve with a little platter of lime wedges, fresh or frozen berries, and sprigs of fresh mint. This will serve 8-10 cocktails.
Variations and Pro Tips for a Delicious Cocktail
- Add Chambord, a raspberry liqueur, instead of the raspberry simple syrup if you want a raspberry flavored drink without the extra sweetness. Which reminds me...if you find a raspberry vodka? Why not! The more raspberry, the better.
- Use a copper mug - The copper mug is a must-have in a classic mule cocktail; it insulates the drink, keeping it extra cold for longer.
- Instead of ice, bring frozen raspberries into the mix. They won't dilute your cocktails and they'll absorb some of the alcohol. I'm always here for boozy fruit!
- If ginger beer is too strong for you, use ginger ale. You'll need less simple syrup since it's sweeter than ginger beer, though.
Equipment I Used
- Copper Mule Mug - most copper mugs no longer have copper on the inside in fear of leaching chemicals into drinks. Instead they have it on the outside, which still keeps the drink ice cold.
FAQs
A Moscow Mule is a type of Buck cocktail --a classic cocktail made with citrus and ginger beer-- using vodka as a spirit and traditionally drank from solid copper mugs. Legend has it that two men partnered up to rid themselves of an overstock problem in the 1940's: one, a russian vodka peddler and the other a pub owner with way too much ginger beer. The cocktail became popular in Hollywood and took off from there.
Learn more about Moscow Mules at Liquor.com.
This cocktail is easily made into a mocktail without losing all that delicious flavor. Keep the recipe the same but omit the vodka or use your favorite zero-spirit vodka instead!
More Summer Cocktails
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Raspberry Mule Cocktail
Equipment
Ingredients
Raspberry Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
Raspberry Moscow Mule
- ½ cup raspberry simple Syrup
- 3 ounces vodka
- 6 ounces ginger beer
- 1 ounce lime juice
- Ice
- raspberries, for garnish
- 2 lime wedges, for garnish
- 2 mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Raspberry Simple Syrup
- Simmer the fresh raspberries, granulated sugar, and water over medium low heat in a small saucepan for 15 minutes, until the raspberries drain their color out into the syrup and look slumped. Pour the simple syrup through a small mesh sieve into a heat-safe container. Cover the container and put it into the fridge to chill.¼ cup raspberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup water
Make the Raspberry Mules
- Grab your moscow mule mugs and divide the vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup between the two mugs. Stir and add ice about ½ way full, then top with the ginger beer.½ cup raspberry simple Syrup, 3 ounces vodka, 6 ounces ginger beer, 1 ounce lime juice, Ice
- Garnish with more raspberries, lime wedges, and mint sprigs, if desired.raspberries, 2 lime wedges, 2 mint sprigs
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