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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. 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 holiday entertaining. And be sure to mix up a large batch to serve to family and friends!
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!
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
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 235 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
To Make a Mocktail: omit the vodka and use an additional 2 tablespoons of pomegranate juice, plus 1 tablespoon of apple cider.
Spiced Cranberry Thyme Moscow Mule Punch
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 235 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
To Make a Mocktail: omit the vodka and use an additional 1/3 cup pomegranate juice, plus 1/4 cup apple cider.
Hello, could bourbon be substituted for the vodka in this drink? If so, would that change any of the proportions of other ingredients? Thanks!
Hey Julie,
I’m not sure bourbon would be the best option for this drink, tequila would be great! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
We are making this for the signature drink for our annual NYE dinner. We made the individual recipe to try it out and loved it. I love all the warm flavors. I’ve got syrup leftover and almost 2 cups of fresh cranberries left to make more. I’m trying to figure out how much syrup I need in total. I want to make a pitcher for 10 people. Any suggestions?
Hey Katharine,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this was enjoyed! You can adjust the serving size on the punch recipe and all of the ingredients will automatically adjust for you:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Delicious!!!
Hey Katharine,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this was enjoyed! xT
Can I substitute the vodka for tequila in the recipe?
Hey Andrea,
Sure, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! Cheers! xx
These were a hit at our Christmas party last night! Loved the spicy flavors of ginger and cardamom. I used the recommended 1/4 tsp cardamom instead of the cardamom pods. The star anise garnish along with the cranberries made it such a pretty drink too!
Hey JoJo,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
If you use cranberry juice, should it be unsweetened?
Hi Skyla,
Yes, that is what I prefer:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xx
So I decided to make this drink for a holiday Christmas cocktail party where everyone makes a different drink. People rated it the second best cocktail (out of 8)! I absolutely loved this drink. It was light and refreshing and a huge hit!
The only modification I made is I used all spice when I made the simple syrup instead of cardamom and it still came out great!
Hey Kate,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
If I cannot find cardamom pods, how much powdered cardamom do you recommend using?
Hi Chelsea,
I would recommend using 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! Cheers! xx
I would like to try this for an upcoming party I am hosting. But I am curious that the pictures have star anise while I couldn’t see it in the recipe. Did you add star anise to the syrup?
Thanks!
Hey there,
I just used the star anise for garnish, it is not needed for the recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xx
This was a really tasty punch. The first batch of syrup I made turned into sauce! With the second batch, I cooked just until the first one or two berries popped, let it steep overnight in the fridge and it was delish. This will be in the seasonal rotation! Thank you.
Hey Susan,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
We did this for our thanksgiving cocktail today and it was so good! Fun, festive, and refreshing. The cranberry syrup is a must! I didn’t have cardamom so I just went w a heavy hand of cinnamon and nutmeg in the syrup and it still had those nice warm flavors. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Chloee,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Enjoying your spiced cranberry thyme moscow mule as we finish preparing our dinner. Delicious!
Hi Cathy,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
What changes if you’re making this for multiple people? 2 cups of cranberries seems like a lot for just one drink!
Disregard…I see now this is for 6 🙂
Hi Clark,
The syrup is going to make enough for 6-8 drinks and you can also keep that in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xx
How far in advance can I make the syrup?
Hi Deb,
The syrup is good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xT
Does the cranberry syrup need to be store in the fridge? Planning to make the syrup ahead of time!
Hi Shelley,
Yes, you can keep the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xx
Looks delicious! You have a star anise in the photo. Is that decorative only or did you put in the syrup?
Hey Kim,
I just used that as garnish, totally not needed:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! Cheers! xx