Enjoy this cranberry Moscow Mule mocktail or cocktail this holiday season! Bubbly and sweet with Christmas colors it’s great drink to serve for a party and fun for kids.
It’s the holidays which means lots of red, green, and getting together with friends! It’s fun to have a new festive drink to serve when you have a party. This cranberry mocktail or cocktail is perfect for everyone including kids! I enjoy both versions actually.
Of course they both have different flavors since one is non alcoholic but they’re both really yummy and look like Christmas!! If you’ve never had this drink before it’s yummy. If you enjoy the classic version, you’ve got to try it with this cranberry twist. Not only is it really pretty when served, but it brings a yummy tart and sweet addition to this already delicious drink. 😉
I love adding just a little sprig of mint to any drink I make but of course that is up to you. Not only is it a yummy flavor addition I think, but since we’re going festive with this drink it definitely screams holiday more than if you left it out with Champagne Cake.
This and our pink punch is what we make as the best holiday cocktail ideas. We used cranberries as a garnish on top but when serving them to kids I would omit that for safety purposes.
Ingredient Notes
Whether you want to add alcohol or not I start this with some ginger ale, or ginger beer if you want to make a stronger cocktail. It is a nice duo of flavor with the fruit flavors in the Fall months.
Cranberry juice is a given I am sure. I like to buy the smaller containers so I can open just open one or a few when I want more later. If serving a crowd and you want everything to be available to them you could get a larger container of Ocean Spray though which is cheaper.
Whole fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries work just as well too for this. Now if you are serving kids I would leave these out as they could be a choking hazard but we are talking adult parties here…..
Fresh mint is a nice touch on the top and adds a bit of this and that to the flavor, but optional. I also like to add a slice of fresh lime to the edge of the glass. You could push around the rim of the cup to wet and then dip into sugar too which is pretty.
Moscow Mule Cocktail
If making cocktails you could substitute some of the gingerale for Vodka. I mean any alcohol will work, even Malibu is kinda’ yummy with a bit of an island flavor added into the mix and all.
Copper mugs are great for this. Of course you can use regular glasses but these aren’t expensive, keep the drinks REALLY cold, and look really cool too. You could use plastic glasses filled with ice too.
How do you keep drinks from diluting?
This is the easiest party hack of all. If you use a small ice cube tray those looks better and easier to drink but don’t use water. Instead pour in cranberry juice or ginger ale instead and freeze that!! So when it melts you just get a larger drink and it doesn’t get watered down!!
Many times I will make a traditional Moscow mule year round but this is a great drink that brings some added color and cheer to the holidays. Heck I will even make a turkey with our cranberry sauce recipe in the middle of Feb. if I feel like it.
Whether you make it a mocktail or not it is quite delicious and perfect for get togethers during the holidays. If you’re looking for another one to have on hand here’s how to make Pineapple Rum Cocktail.
That works great kept in the crockpot all day. You can also make that one spiked or a traditional way. Both are super delicious and easier than you might think to make. Looking for other holiday drinks?
Our sparkling apple cider is a fun one to include for your get together too. It’s much better than bottled and you can spike it too. For a Southern style drink with fruit, give our strawberry hibiscus sweet tea a whirl.
- .Our sparkling cranberry sangria can be a mocktail or cocktail.
Cranberry Moscow Mule Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pitcher
- 4 cups
- 1 ice cube tray freeze cranberry juice or ginger ale for best results
Ingredients
- 4 cups ginger ale
- 4 cups cranberry juice
- 1 slice lime, cut into fourths
- 4 whole mint leaves, fresh
- 1 cup cranberries, whole, fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- Refrigerate all items before making so it is nice and cold when served, and bubbles stay as long as possible with the ginger ale being cold prior to making these.
- Add ice cubes plus 1 c. of ginger ale with 1 c. of cold cranberry juice into each cup, copper mugs work best to keep cold as long as possible and they look great.
- Squeeze 1 pcs. of lime into each cup and leave in the cup or on the side of cup and allow them to squeeze it in themselves.
- Put 5-6 whole cranberries in each glass to float (only use if children are old enough to know they are just for garnish and won’t swallow them as they would be a choking hazard, if young children do not add these).
- Add one or two mint leaves to the cup and serve!
- If making a cocktail version substitute beer/ginger beer instead of ginger ale, (can even add 1 shot of vodka to each glass) with the cranberry juice, lime, and whole cranberries.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What else to serve at a holiday party
Any and all of these drinks are great with a slice of our banana cranberry bread as well. Or make a loaf of our zucchini gingerbread and you’ll have two flavors that just scream Christmastime. Jump to recipe and let us know what you and your guests think of this this year.
Gorgeous looking mocktail! It sounds so delicious too. Can’t wait to try these, everyone will love them.