A Little Moscow Mule-tide Cheer

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Every year at work, I plan the annual “Holiday” Party. Just me.

At its worst, it was a toxic, political club used to make others feel miserable and left out. At its best, it planned parties. – The Office

The Party Planning Committee

I truly take it upon myself to become a literal Mrs. Claus, decorating every surface, ensuring the lights get strung, and choosing the signature drink for the annual holiday party. At first, the idea of a signature drink was laughed at. But eventually my bosses came around to the idea, probably because it included their favorite type of liquor. A lot of hemming and hawing, talks of homemade simple syrup, and complicated ingredients and we came to agree upon the 2016 party signature drink recipe; it was to be a Cranberry Gin & Tonic.

The week leading up to the party, I do little to no productive work. I can typically be found dashing through the snow around the City of Philadelphia with a sack of party supplies flung over my shoulder, wishing for a larger sleigh. I cover walls with ornaments with our names on them, trim the mini tree, and make unnecessary accessories, such as jolly food labels for obvious things like cheese & crackers. But the best task of all, is securing the ingredients for the signature drink.

The Cranberry G&T of 2016

I’ll be honest. I was preparing to fail that first year, assuming that many people would stick to the classic beer and wine. But come 4:30, every single solitary person had a Cranberry G&T in their hand. I let out a few respectful “I told you sos” to my bosses, smirked, and drank some more. In fact, we drank so many that my boss had to go upstairs and break into his office gin stash. (???) Did not know that existed outside of Madmen. And I’ve never even watched that show.

But enough talk, let’s get down to it. I drew up a quick little how-to card and left the ingredients and garnishes for everyone to do it themselves and it was a hit. All you need is a splash of gin, cranberry juice, tonic water, lime juice, and some cranberries and lime slices to garnish. You’ll have a hit on your hands! I found that for holiday festivities, it’s best to keep the drink as simple and classic as possible. You are already eating a lot of heavy foods this time of year, so maybe steer clear of spiked egg nog or extremely sweet cocktails.

The Moscow Mule-Tide Cheer of 2017

So now for the reason you’re all here! Has anyone actually made a Moscow Mule before all by yourself? Or have y’all just snark-ly ordered one in hopes that you would get the coveted copper mug and look extra suave at the bar? Either way, this was my first time actually making one myself (and then having to teach the entire office!) It was a huge hit and so much fun to garnish and decorate with! We didn’t have 50 copper mugs so we substituted with gold solo cups! Although this is a classic recipe, the garnishes and the festive mug makes this cocktail your drink of choice while sitting beside your Christmas tree. Keep scrolling for the full recipe and how-to.

The Recipe

  • Fill your copper mug with ice and squeeze a lime wedge into the glass and drop in
  • Pour 2 ounces of vodka (I used Tito’s Vodka) or go crazy, I can’t tell you how to live your life
  • Top with lime juice; about 1 ounce (I used Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice, but may be too sweet for some)
  • Fill the rest with Ginger Beer (I used Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Brew)
  • Garnish with floating cranberries, lime, and mint (and a stripey straw). Also maybe do this cute little number to the crans.
  • Optionally, add some cranberry juice to mix it up! For this scenario, use less lime juice.
  • Enjoy your Moscow Mule-tide Cup of Cheer!

I hope you enjoy this tasty treat!

xoxo,

jojo

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12 Comments

  1. I really enjoyed reading your post. So fun. I haven’t ever tried a Moscow Mule, but I am definitely intrigued. AND you must watch Mad Men….one of my favorites. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Happy holidays. xo