Tag: ginger beer

vodka

Blackberry Rose Mule | The Ultimate Springtime Cocktail and Mocktail Recipe

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Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail.

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. I actually enjoyed this as a mocktail (still pregnant) but it would be great with vodka, too. You could also add any other berries you have on hand, too.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

As you may or may not know, I’m expecting baby #2. Several weeks back, I reached out to a fellow cocktail lover (@da_gin_joint) on Instagram whose wife had just had a baby. I knew Eric must’ve been making mocktails for her throughout her pregnancy so I asked him for some mocktail recipes. Sure enough, he’d had a whole Mocktail Monday series going on that I totally missed. (Thanks, Instagram algorithms.)

He sent me a few different recipes but his Cool as a Mule really caught my eye. It’s a Blackberry Mule! I love mules of all kinds but had never had one with blackberry.

I’d also recently got some rose simple syrup in the mail and figured I’d try combining them. I wasn’t sure if the blackberry, rose, lime, mint, and ginger flavors would play nicely together or not but figured it was worth a try. And it worked! Honestly next time, I’d probably add a drop or two of rosewater for extra rose notes but it’s def good without.

If you’re a fan of ginger beer, I suggest you try this Blackberry Rose Mule. I enjoyed it without vodka but go ahead and add some to make it a true mule.

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail.

Interested in other mule recipes? Check out my Green Tea Moscow Mule, Mother Mule (using a ginger honey shrub!), Orange Cassidy (a citrus & sage mule), and the classic Irish Mule. And if you haven’t had the OG, you’ve gotta try your hand at making a Moscow Mule at some point. It’s one of the easiest cocktails to make at home and you prob always have the ingredients on hand. Well, if you keep ginger beer on hand, which is an essential item around here.

If you make this Blackberry Rose Mule, be sure to tag me on Instagram and leave a comment below. Seeing your re-shakes of my recipes always makes my day!

Ingredients for a Blackberry Rose Mule

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka (omit for a truly delish mocktail)
  • 1/2 oz lime juice
  • 1/2 oz rose simple syrup (buy it or make your own)
  • 5 blackberries
  • 5-7 mint leaves
  • 3+ oz ginger beer

How to Make a Blackberry Rose Mule

Add the vodka, lime juice, rose simple syrup, mint leaves, and blackberries to a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently but muddle well. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a copper mug or glass that’s filled with crushed ice. Top off the rest of the glass with ginger beer. Stir to incorporate. Garnish with additional blackberries and mint.

Blackberry Rose Mule

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker
  • muddler

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka (omit for a truly delish mocktail)
  • ½ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • ½ oz rose simple syrup*
  • 5 blackberries
  • 5-7 mint leaves
  • 3+ oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Add the vodka, lime juice, rose simple syrup, mint leaves, and blackberries to a cocktail shaker.
  • Muddle gently but muddle well.
  • Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake well.
  • Strain into a copper mug or glass that's filled with crushed ice.
  • Top off the rest of the glass with ginger beer. Stir to incorporate.
  • Garnish with additional blackberries and mint.

Notes

You can buy some rose simple syrup on Amazon or you can learn how to make your own.
Keyword blackberries, cherry limeade, ginger beer, lime juice, mint, mocktail, moscow mule, rose, rose simple syrup
Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail. Blackberry Moscow Mule
mocktail

Green Tea Moscow Mule | A Refreshing Cocktail or Mocktail Recipe Made with Green Tea

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This Green Tea Moscow Mule is a refreshing and unique take on the original. If you go the mocktail recipe route, you won’t even miss the alcohol thanks to the flavorful ginger, lime, and green tea juice concentrate.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

The Moscow Mule is one of the most classic–and popular– cocktails out there, and for good reason. It’s crisp, refreshing, and a breeze to make. There are a lot of Moscow Mule riffs out there. I’ve shared a few on the blog in the past. You can check them out here:

The original Moscow Mule recipe calls for 3 simple ingredients: vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. They require no cocktail shaker or special tools and are really cost-effective to make at home since none of the ingredients are expensive or obscure.

This Green Tea Moscow Mule is just as easy and requires only one more ingredient: green tea concentrate. The one I used, which you can see in the picture below, was actually a Ginger Lime Moscow Mule tea concentrate and is part of their Mixology line. (This post is not sponsored by the way– I wish it was! hi Tazo, hmu). On the label, it says it has green tea, ginger, lime juice, and mint and it recommends serving it with seltzer. But I mean, how can you see a Moscow Mule-flavored tea and not make a Moscow Mule with it?

I bought it at Walmart but if you’re looking to order something from Amazon, I bet their green tea matcha latte concentrate would be pretty good in this recipe, too. Then you can muddle some fresh ginger and mint in it to give it all the flavors that the Moscow Mule tea has.

I made one cocktail version and one mocktail version. They were both amazing. In fact, I could hardly taste the difference between the two! But perhaps that’s because vodka typically doesn’t have a very overt flavor.

If you can find the Tazo Moscow Mule green tea concentrate at your store, buy it. And then make this Green Tea Moscow Mule recipe. I’m quite confident you’ll enjoy it.

Ingredients for a Green Tea Moscow Mule Recipe (and Mocktail Recipe Option)

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka (optional– leave out for a flavorful mocktail)
  • 2 oz Tazo Moscow Mule green tea concentrate*
  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3 + oz ginger beer
  • Garnish: fresh mint & lime wheel

*if you can’t find Tazo’s Moscow Mule green tea concentrate that’s part of their Mixology line, use a green tea concentrate instead and muddle a couple of slices of fresh ginger and mint before adding the ice and ginger beer to your glass.

How to Make a Green Tea Moscow Mule Recipe

Fill a copper mug with crushed ice. Add fresh lime juice, green tea concentrate, & vodka (optional). Top off the rest of the mug with ginger beer. Stir to incorporate. Garnish with fresh mint and a lime wheel.

Green Tea Moscow Mule

This Green Tea Moscow Mule is a refreshing and flavorful take on the original recipe with earthy green tea, zesty ginger, bright lime juice, and fresh mint.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka (optional– leave out for a flavorful mocktail)
  • 2 oz Tazo Moscow Mule green tea concentrate*
  • ¾ oz fresh lime juice
  • 3+ oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Fill a copper mug with crushed ice.
  • Add fresh lime juice, green tea concentrate, & vodka (optional).
  • Top off the rest of the mug with ginger beer.
  • Stir to incorporate.
  • Garnish with fresh mint and a lime wheel.

Notes

*if you can’t find Tazo’s Moscow Mule green tea concentrate that’s part of their Mixology line, use a green tea concentrate instead and muddle a couple of slices of fresh ginger and mint before adding the ice and ginger beer to your glass.
Keyword cucumber-infused vodka, ginger beer, green tea, green tea concentrate, green tea moscow mule, lime juice, moscow mule

If you love the taste of a Moscow Mule, try out its rum cousin, the Dark & Stormy. And if you already know you love Dark & Stormy’s check out one of my all-time favorite cocktails: the Sea Monster.

vodka

Spiced Pear Cocktail | The Best Fall Cocktail Recipe with 5 Simple Ingredients

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This simple spiced pear cocktail is an easy fall cocktail made with vodka, fresh pear, cinnamon simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer.

This simple spiced pear cocktail is made with vodka, fresh pear, cinnamon simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer. It’s sweet and warming–the perfect cocktail to sip on a crisp autumn evening.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

More days than not, it’s feeling like fall here in Texas. Finally. I mean, we’re already halfway through season and I wore boots for the first time this morning. Granted, it’ll be too warm for me to wear this afternoon when I do my grocery pick-up but it was a momentous occasion nonetheless.

Few things embody the flavor of fall to me the way cinnamon does. I recently made some cinnamon simple syrup to put in a spiced pomegranate cocktail and I’ve been itching to use it in another cocktail recipe ever since. Pears and cinnamon are a match made in heaven. After making this spiced pear cocktail I can’t stop thinking about how it tastes like a spiced poached pear in liquid form. I think I’ll be making this easy recipe soon because now I’m dying to have one in, well, edible form.

This spiced pear cocktail recipe would be a great cocktail to serve on Thanksgiving. It’s also easy to make ahead of time so you can spend less time mixing drinks and more time mixing it up with your guests (see what I did there?). Simply multiply the ingredients by the number of guests you’ll be serving and add all of the ingredients except for the ginger beer to a large pitcher. When you’re ready to serve the cocktail, pour into a lowball glass and add about an inch of ginger beer into each glass.

This simple spiced pear cocktail is an easy fall cocktail made with vodka, fresh pear, cinnamon simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer.

Alternatively, you can serve this cocktail on a coupe glass without ice and add only a splash of ginger beer. This cocktail is honestly delicious both ways!

If you make this spiced pear cocktail, be sure to tag me on Instagram and let me know in a comment down below!

Cheers!

This simple spiced pear cocktail is an easy fall cocktail made with vodka, fresh pear, cinnamon simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer.

Ingredients for a Spiced Pear Cocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka
  • 3/4 oz fresh pear juice*
  • 1/4 oz lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz cinnamon simple syrup
  • splash of ginger beer

*If you don’t have a juicer, store-bought will work. If it’s not in your store’s juice aisle, check the baby section. If you can’t find it, apple cider will taste great, too!

How to Make a Spiced Pear Cocktail

Add the vodka, pear juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon simple syrup to a cocktail shaker that’s filled with ice. Shake well, about 15-20 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass. Add a splash of ginger beer. Garnish with a dehydrated pear.

Spiced Pear Cocktail Recipe

An easy vodka cocktail made with pear juice, cinnamon simple syrup, and ginger beer.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka
  • ¾ oz fresh pear juice*
  • ¼ oz fresh lemon juice
  • ½ oz cinnamon simple syrup**
  • 1 oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Add the vodka, pear juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon simple syrup to a cocktail shaker that's filled with ice.
  • Shake well, about 15-20 seconds.
  • Strain the cocktail into a lowball glass.
  • Top off the glass with ginger beer.
  • Garnish with a dehydrated pear or a slice of fresh pear.

Notes

*If you don’t have a juicer, store-bought will work. If it’s not in your store’s juice aisle, check the baby section. If you can’t find it, apple cider will taste great, too!
**Making cinnamon simple syrup at home is very easy. Find the 2 ingredient recipe here. 
Keyword cinnamon, cinnamon simple syrup, ginger beer, lemon, lemon juice, pear, pear juice, spiced pear cocktail, vodka
vodka

Mother Mule | A Healthy Moscow Mule Variation with Ginger Honey Shrub

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The Mother Mule is a healthy ginger Moscow Mule variation made with Other Mother Vinegar Ginger Honey Shrub. It's easy to create at home and good for you, too, thanks to the gut-boosting bacteria found in the shrub.

The Mother Mule is a spicy ginger Moscow Mule variation made with Other Mother Vinegar Ginger Honey Shrub. It’s easy to create at home and good for you, too, thanks to the gut-boosting bacteria found in the shrub.

Chances are if you like cocktails, you’ve ordered or made a Moscow Mule. It’s a true classic cocktail recipe that’s inspired many other drinks. Moscow Mule variations are common these days and I’m not complaining. Vodka, lime, and ginger beer are a perfect foundation for building more flavors on top of. I’ve posted a few Moscow Mule variations here on Girl & Tonic: the Irish Mule (made with whiskey), a Dark & Stormy (my forever go-to drink), and an Orange Cassidy (my own AEW-inspired riff on a Moscow Mule).

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I’m really excited about today’s Moscow Mule variation for two reasons: 1) it’s good for you, and 2) it can be easily made into a mocktail or alcohol-free cocktail.

Okay, okay. I can practically hear you rolling your eyes at me when I say that this Mother Mule cocktail recipe is good for you. Hear me out. I know vodka isn’t necessarily an elixir of health. BUT one of the main ingredients in this drink is pure health in liquid form. It pretty much counterbalances the whole alcohol & sugar thing.

Okay. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit when I say it’s bottled-up health. But Other Mother Vinegar is really good for you. Allow me to inform you.

The Mother Mule is a spicy ginger Moscow Mule variation made with Other Mother Vinegar Ginger Honey Shrub. It's easy to create at home and good for you, too, thanks to the gut-boosting bacteria found in the shrub.

Other Mother Vinegar is a “live vinegar”, meaning each bottle contains millions of healthy bacteria that will give the microbiome in your intestines a boost. Live vinegar is packed with other benefits, too: can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, helps with indigestion and acid reflux, and is chock-full of antioxidants. You can read more about the benefits of drinking vinegar here.

I’ve actually made another cocktail and mocktail recipe using the raspberry OMV shrub shot. It’s called the Rowdy Mother (are you sensing a theme in the names yet). If you’re not down for a ginger honey shrub, their raspberry shrub or the turmeric one would also work really well in this recipe!

(If you’re looking for some 100% or 90% healthy cocktail/mocktail options, check out my Mother’s Garden recipe or this Cucumber Basil Refresher.)

I mentioned early that one reason I’m excited about this recipe is that it can be easily made into a mocktail or alcohol-free cocktail. I love easy, 3-ingredient cocktails like the Moscow Mule. But when 1/3 of those ingredients is alcohol, the drink becomes rather empty if you’re going alcohol-free that night. When you use a vinegar shrub as one of your ingredients, your drink will be anything but bland.

Another perk of using shrubs as a drink ingredient is that you don’t need to use citrus. While you definitely can use a fresh lime (like I did), you don’t need to. After all, shrubs were originally used as a substitute for fresh citrus back in the colonial days.

The Mother Mule is a spicy ginger Moscow Mule variation made with Other Mother Vinegar Ginger Honey Shrub. It's easy to create at home and good for you, too, thanks to the gut-boosting bacteria found in the shrub.

I lied earlier when I said I was excited about this recipe for two reasons. I actually have a third. As of yesterday, those of you living in the grand state of Texas can find Other Mother Vinegar at H-E-B!!! *cue the Hallelujah chorus & start thanking Jesus for the gift that is H-E-B* Over 85 locations are stocking their shelves with OMV shrub shots– check your Healthy Living Department to see if you’re one of the lucky several.

Oh… you don’t live in Texas? That sucks- for many reasons- but thankfully you can order Other Mother Vinegar online.

Do you love Moscow Mules? Let me know what your favorite Moscow Mule variation is down below and, as always, tag me if you make this one! (@girlandtonic_).

The Mother Mule is a spicy ginger Moscow Mule variation made with Other Mother Vinegar Ginger Honey Shrub. It's easy to create at home and good for you, too, thanks to the gut-boosting bacteria found in the shrub.

Ingredients for a Mother Mule

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka (leave out for mocktail version)
  • 1/2 oz ginger honey shrub (check out OMV’s sample size here)
  • 1 lime wedge
  • 4+ oz ginger beer (Bundaberg is my favorite!)

How to Make a Mother Mule (a Moscow Mule Variation)

Add ice to a copper mug or a lowball glass. Pour in the vodka (skip if going alcohol-free), ginger honey shrub, and squeeze the lime wedge into the mug. Top off the rest of the mug with your ginger beer. Stir to combine. Garnish with an extra lime wedge.

Mother Mule

A spicy and healthy Moscow Mule variation made with a ginger honey vinegar shrub.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka (omit for mocktail)
  • ½ oz ginger honey shrub*
  • 1 lime wedge
  • 4+ oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Add ice to a copper mug or a lowball glass.
  • Pour in the vodka (skip if going alcohol-free), ginger honey shrub, and squeeze the lime wedge into the mug.
  • Top off the rest of the mug with your ginger beer. Stir to combine.
  • Garnish with an extra lime wedge.

Notes

*You can buy a sample size of Other Mother Vinegar’s ginger honey shrub here.
Keyword ginger beer, ginger honey shrub, lime, lime juice, shrub, vodka
rum

Sea Monster Cocktail | A Spiced Rum Drink with 4-Ingredients

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The Sea Monster cocktail is a refreshing sip with spiced rum, ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. This 4 ingredient cocktail is perfect for beginners and those looking to make cocktails at home.

The Sea Monster was one of the first cocktails I ever made. It was in 2014 and my husband and I had just relocated to Reno for his job. I had recently started getting into making cocktails and spent a lot of extra time scrolling Pinterest and pinning any and every cocktail recipe I found. (Speaking of Pinterest, here’s a shameless plug for mine.)

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

The first time I ever had a Sea Monster cocktail was with my cocktail/plant bestie (you might remember me talking about her in this post). We frequently got together to make cocktails and I’m pretty sure this was one of the first ones we tried. In fact, here are some Instagram photos from back in the day:

Aren’t those glasses gorgeous? They belong to my friend and they’re my favorite ever. I have glass envy. Is that a thing?

Once I accidentally called this drink a “Sea Monkey” and we’ve joked about it ever since. In fact, I still think of it as a Sea Monkey and have to remind myself that that’s not the real name of this drink. Or is it?… No, no it’s definitely a Sea Monster. But I do love Sea Monkies. I’ve bought a couple kits in my lifetime and wouldn’t mind having them again. I mean, teeny tiny freeze-dried shrimpies that come to life by adding water and require little-to-no care? Sign me up.

We made this drink several times together back then and on the rare occasion that I have grapefruit juice around, I’ll make one. It’s a fun nod back to my early cocktail-making days.

Looking for an easy 4 ingredient cocktail? The Sea Monster is a bright, spicy drink that anyone can make at home.

While we’re on the subject of grenadine, I’ll give a shout out to the one seen in the pictures. In the past, I had Rose’s grenadine. It’s alright if it’s what you can find, but I’m officially here for the Barsmith grenadine. Unlike Rose’s, it’s not too sweet and it actually tastes like pomegranate. It’s also colored with vegetable juice (yay for no red dye!), non-GMO, and has no high fructose corn syrup. If you ain’t about to make your own, this stuff is a superb option.

The Sea Monster cocktail is a refreshing sip with spiced rum, ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. This 4 ingredient cocktail is perfect for beginners and those looking to make cocktails at home.

I would love to give credit to the original creator of the Sea Monster cocktail, but I can’t. I went back to the Pin that I saved all those years ago and that person said they got it from the “cute lil lady over at Sweet Toothed” but alas, Sweet Toothed.com no longer exists.

If you’re a fan of a Dark & Stormy, then you’ll probably love this Sea Monster cocktail. The base is spiced rum (Kraken is my favorite), then ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. The ginger brings a spicy kick and the grapefruit and grenadine combo make it fruity without being too sweet.

Sea Monster Cocktail | Keeping canned grapefruit juice and ginger beer on hand means you can make one of these delicious drinks whenever the urge strikes.

If you’ve been around Girl & Tonic for a while, you know I always tell everyone to use fresh citrus juice. Bottled lemon juice and lime juice taste worlds different than their fresh counterparts. But I make an exception for grapefruit juice. Fresh is still definitely better, but I really don’t mind going pre-squeezed. I like buying these little grapefruit juice cans because I never go through a giganto bottle before it goes bad.

As always, let me know if you try this cocktail by tagging me on Instagram @girlandtonic_ and using the hashtag #girlandtonic.

Cheers to another easy 4-ingredient cocktail!

The Sea Monster cocktail is a refreshing sip with spiced rum, ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. This 4 ingredient cocktail is perfect for beginners and those looking to make cocktails at home.

Ingredients for a Sea Monster Cocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz spiced rum
  • 2 oz grapefruit
  • 2+ oz ginger beer
  • 1/4 – 1/2 oz grenadine

How to Make a Sea Monster Cocktail

Pour the rum, grapefruit juice, and grenadine into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top off with the ginger beer. Stir to incorporate.

The Sea Monster cocktail is a refreshing sip with spiced rum, ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. This 4 ingredient cocktail is perfect for beginners and those looking to make cocktails at home.

Sea Monster

A refreshing spiced rum, ginger beer, and grapefruit cocktail.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 min
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ oz spiced rum
  • 2 oz grapefruit juice
  • 2+ oz ginger beer
  • ¼ – ½ oz grenadine

Instructions
 

  • Pour the rum, grapefruit juice, and grenadine into a lowball glass filled with ice.
  • Fill the rest of the glass with ginger beer.
  • Stir to incorporate.
Keyword Sea Monster, Sea Monster Cocktail