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Putting a festive spin on a classic fall and winter cocktail, with this Spiced Cranberry Thyme Moscow Mule. Homemade cranberry-thyme syrup, vodka, fresh citrus, and sweet bubbly ginger beer. This drink is so easy to create and garnish. Simply mix everything together for a spiced cocktail that’s perfectly sweetened, and so delicious! This drink can easily be made into a mocktail. It’s simple to make ahead of time for easy Christmas and holiday entertaining. And be sure to mix up a large batch of this cranberry moscow mule to serve to family and friends!
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Ingredients
- honey
- Fresh cranberries
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh ginger
- Cardamom pods
- Vodka
- Fresh lime juice
- lime wedges
- Spiced cranberry syrup
- Ginger beer
Happy November! I know it’s the 5th, but today is the first cocktail Saturday of the Thanksgiving holiday month!
I would just love for the days to slow down now, I know they’ll go by so fast! As I said last year, I’m doing my best to enjoy the season and do all things holiday!
Cocktails are an absolute must for Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving tables. The classic Moscow Mule is one of my family’s favorites.
I’m excited to share this fun and festive twist with you all! In true Cocktail Saturday form, I’m jumping right into details and keeping things short!
Details
Most Moscow Mule recipes don’t require a simple syrup, but that’s where this recipe begins, with spiced cranberry simple syrup. I really wanted to add cranberries and spices to give the mule festive color and warm winter flavors!
Simmer together the honey, fresh cranberries, ginger, and cardamom. Then stir in the thyme and let the syrup cool.
I prefer to leave the cranberries in the syrup, then I pick out the ginger, cardamom, and thyme. If you don’t want any of the cranberries in the cocktail, simply strain everything out using a fine mesh sieve.
Now, mix the drink.
Add the vodka, lime juice, and either pomegranate or cranberry juice to a cocktail shaker. Add the cranberry syrup and shake it all up to give everything a good mix.
Strain into your favorite mule mug and top off with ginger beer. The ginger beer is KEY. To me, it’s what makes a really good Moscow Mule.
I love the spicy, sweet, and bubbly element it adds.
I didn’t love the sound of grapefruit juice with these flavors so I swapped in fresh lime juice.
With Thanksgiving ahead of us, I’m planning out my menu and holiday cocktails. This one is definitely on my list. To make this easy for everyone, I gave you recipes for both the single drink and the pitcher version, plus how to turn this into a nonalcoholic mocktail! It’s always fun searching for the perfect mug too, I used these cold copper mugs and topped with a sprig of rosemary for a festive flair.
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving cocktails?? Here are my favorites:
Lastly, if you make this Spiced Cranberry Thyme Moscow Mule, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spiced Cranberry Thyme Moscow Mule
Ingredients
Spiced Cranberry Syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cardamom pods
Moscow Mule
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) vodka
- juice from 1/2 of a lime
- 1/4 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice
- 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) spiced cranberry syrup
- ginger beer, for topping
Instructions
- 1. To make the cranberry syrup. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, cranberries, ginger, and cardamom to a boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes or until the cranberries begin to burst, then remove from the heat. Stir in the thyme. Let cool. Remove the ginger, cardamom, and thyme. I prefer to leave the cranberries in, but you can strain those out if desired. 3. Fill a cocktail glass with ice.2. Combine the vodka, lime juice, pomegranate juice, and cranberry syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until combined, about 1 minute. Strain into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cardamom pods
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice
- spiced cranberry syrup
- 4 cans ginger beer, for topping
Instructions
- 1. To make the cranberry syrup. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, cranberries, ginger, and cardamom to a boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes or until the cranberries begin to burst, then remove from the heat. Stir in the thyme. Let cool. Remove the ginger, cardamom, and thyme. I prefer to leave the cranberries in but you can strain those out if desired.2. Combine the vodka, lime juice, pomegranate juice, and cranberry syrup in a large pitcher. Stir to combine and chill for 2 hours.3. When ready to serve, fill the pitcher with ice and top off with ginger beer. Or fill glasses with the mix and top each glass off with ginger beer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Following these instructions yielded cranberry sauce, very thick and definitely not a syrup. I thinned it with water. I agree that the thyme and pods are hard to take out, unless I strain the whole thing. Can you please describe the consistency the syrup should be?
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, the syrup should be thin like maple syrup. Was there anything you adjusted to the recipe? How long did you boil for? Let me know how I can help! xx
Made this and it was yum. I’m not sure if it was more delicious than a regular Moscow mule – maybe? – but it did taste a little different, more fruity and complex because of the spices and the thyme and the cranberry. I liked 2 full shots of cranberry syrup, since I used a less sweet ginger beer (Bundaberg). I was too lazy to get cardamom pods so I used 4 pieces of star anise plus some cardamom bitters at the end, and that worked well to give it spice and depth of flavor. Thanks for a great recipe! I appreciate all the effort you put into finding just the right balance of flavors.
Hey Holly,
I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed!❄️ xx
How many drinks can be made from the cranberry syrup? I am hoping to make this as a batch recipe for this Thanksgiving!
Mine made a small jam jar of syrup, enough for about 4 drinks, but I used the full 2 shots of cranberry syrup per drink. If you only want one shot of cranberry per drink it would make more like 8, I think.
Hey Brittany,
It depends how much syrup you use for each drink, but typically about 6-8 drinks. I hope you love the recipe! Cheers! xx
Can you use frozen Cranberries & can you freeze the syrup?
Hey Shanda,
Yes, frozen cranberries will work for you and sure I don’t see why not for the syrup! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xx
I just made this recipe for our friendsgiving. Surprisingly, it was a little hard to find all the ingredients but luckily I was able too because it was a hit! I had a fun time making it and feeling like a mixologist! Although it was hard to pick out the seeds and thyme. I wonder if it would be easier to just strain out and add fresh cranberries in the end. I’m planning to try again for our next holiday party.
Hey Marlena,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
Just made this recipe as a practice round for thanksgiving! I thought the syrup had a very strong smell as the thyme steeped but in the finished drink it wasn’t too strong at all- perfect amount of depth and floral notes from the cardamom and thyme. As I was making the recipe I realized all the star anise in the pictures, and though I didn’t have it on hand would love to try it that way as well! Cheers and thanks for the recipe
Hey Beth,
Happy Sunday!! I truly appreciate you giving this a try and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
This looks amazing. How big of a glass would you use? I’m trying to make due with the glasses I have but I don’t know how much ginger beer to top off with since it would depend with the glass size!
Thanks so much!
Hey Renee,
I would say a 12 ounce glass is perfect! I hope you love the recipe! Cheers! xT
I know the recipe calls for cardamom pods but I also see star anise which is not mentioned in the recipe?
Hey Anna,
I like to use star anise as a garnish, don’t feel like you have to:) I hope this recipe is amazing! Cheers! xx
Can you sub something for the honey, like maple syrup? Someone in my party is allergic!
Hey Katie,
Totally, maple syrup will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xx
Can’t wait to make this! Could you use ground cardamom instead of pods?
Hey Jessica,
Yes, you can use 1/4 teaspoon! I hope you love this recipe! Cheers! xT
Yay! I was hoping to find this swap since i could find the pods!
I hope you love the recipe Tracey!!
absolutely delicious. Really enjoy HBH!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
I would love a version of this done in big batches for a Christmas party.
Hi Danielle,
Yup, just follow the punch recipe listed above:) I hope you love it!! Cheers! xx
This looks so festive. I am crazy for anything cranberry. I really appreciate the non alcoholic options. I am going to use a non alcoholic spirit for this, Monday Zero alcohol gin. For those who don’t drink there are a lot of really nice non alcoholic botanical options out there these days. I highly recommend Monday’s. You are sort of a syrup savant! So fun to have these on hand to drizzle on any number of things!
Thanks so much for sharing Cari!! Let me know if you give this a try, I hope it’s delish! Cheers! xx
This looks perfect for the holiday. One quick question- I see what looks like star anise, do you use that in the simple syrup or is that just there to make it look pretty:)
Hey Lesley,
If you like the flavors, you could totally add a star anise! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! Cheers! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed Michelle!!
This sound delicious for the holiday season!
Could you use rosemary instead of thyme? Also, about how long will the syrup stay fresh in the fridge for?
Hey Angela,
Thanks so much! Sure, rosemary will be great to use and you can keep the syrup in the fridge for 2 weeks. I hope you love the recipe! Cheers! xx