A Moscow Mule is one of our favorite easy cocktails. Just three ingredients—vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer—combine to make a drink that’s a little spicy, a little sweet, and just the right amount of boozy. There’s something about the ginger that makes them extra enticing in winter, but they deserve to be enjoyed in the warm weather months too. To make them even more summer-y, we added super seasonal watermelon and froze them—you won’t be able to resist these fruity drinks.
If you’re unfamiliar, traditional mules aren’t actually from Moscow at all, and are instead named after the association of vodka with Russia and the “kick” from the ginger beer. They are traditionally served in a copper mug, which serves the dual purpose of giving them their signature look and keeping them extra frosty. Because they are so simple, it’s actually quite easy to add different ingredients to give them a seasonal spin. Check out our mermaid mules, our cranberry mules, or our champagne mules to see what we mean. Here, we’ve simply added frozen watermelon to make them extra refreshing. You can make these even without freezing your watermelon (we’ve ALL forgotten to put it in the freezer the night before)—just add extra ice to your blender till it reaches the slushy consistency you desire.
Not a vodka fan? No worries—we think tequila or gin would be nice here (turning these into Mexican mules or gin bucks, respectively) too. You could even try whiskey (turning these into Kentucky mules or Irish mules, depending on which variety you choose). Most ginger beer on the market is non-alcoholic, but if you’d like to make a non-alcoholic version, try swapping in ginger ale for the ginger beer (this will also make them less spicy) and lemonade or juice for the vodka.
Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: This recipe was updated on August 1, 2022.