My FAVORITE Southern Moscow Mule made a little healthier with sparkling water and fresh citrus juice from oranges and limes for the perfect weekend cocktail!
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YAY it’s Friday so that means it’s perfectly acceptable to share cocktail recipes, right? Yep I thought so.
It’s certainly no secret that my girlfriends and I LOVE our Moscow Mules. I mean seriously how cute are they?? In fact, my maid of honor Kristen knew me SO well that her bridal shower gift to me was a beautiful set of these copper mugs
! Now I’m not saying this was my favorite gift……..buuuuut I’m not denying it either. Hehe.
Well I recently shared this photo on my Instagram and was shocked to have sooo many requests for my recipe so of course I was going to share it! When I think of Moscow Mules I think of a traditional southern drink, but here’s a little fun fact – these little cocktails were actually born in Manhattan! This past spring I had my bachelorette party in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina and hands down the BEST Moscow Mule I have ever had {and probably will ever have} was at this trendy little spot called The Rarebit. If you are familiar with Charleston then I know you KNOW what I’m talking about. This place is such a hidden gem and not only are the Mules good, but the food is out of this world delicious!! Well ever since that trip I have been determined to recreate this fabulous drink and I think I came pretty darn close!
Now you know I had to throw my own little twist on these beauties and lighten them up, of course.
Traditional Moscow Mules are made with some combination of vodka, ginger beer and lime juice all mixed together with lots of ice and YES the iconic copper mug. If you’ve never drank out of one of these, ohhh does it keep your drink cold! I’m talking freezing. Yes I’m obsessed. And I promise after you try this cocktail you’ll be wanting your very own set of copper mugs for your household. The best part is that this drink is so versatile that you can really make this however you’d like it! I like to top mine off with bubbly soda water, fresh mint and a generous squeeze of an orange wedge. Also I should probably note that a typical Moscow Mule you’d order in a restaurant can be over 320 calories per drink!! This delicious version? Yep only 150 calories, but I promise the flavors are still amazing! I mean let’s recap shall we…..you have the zing of the ginger beer with the zestiness of the lime and the sweetness of the orange topped with the fizziness of the soda water and the freshness of the mint – WHEW!
Yeah I think you get the idea. Basically I’m saying go make this tonight.
CHEERS!!
The Southern Moscow Mule
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. vodka
- 4 oz or 1/2 cup ginger beer (I used diet)
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- Top off with sparkling water
- Squeeze of orange wedge
- Sprig of mint
Instructions
- Fill your copper mug with ice.
- Add vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and fill the rest up with sparkling water; mix well.
- Squeeze an orange wedge, add a sprig of mint and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My friend and I hosted a cocktail party last weekend featuring moscow mules and came across a ginger beer that is both low cal and delish. My friend ordered it directly from the company at http://www.RockysGingerBeer.com. She chose this ginger beer based on the low price and free shipping. We were all pleasantly surprised with her decision and will be ordering more for our next cocktail party.
That’s awesome I’ll have to try that, thanks! 🙂
I think that recipe might have the carb and protein totals mixed up?
You are correct! Thank you for letting me know – my nutrition calculator goofed on that one, I should have seen that 🙂 Thanks!
This is definitely one of my favourite cocktails! I use sugar free ginger beer and it is delish!
This drink was actually created in the small town Moscow Idaho, though it may have been popularized in Manhattan.
I can’t wait to try this! It is so hard to find low-calorie cocktails, and this looks like it’s not too high in sugar as well. Thanks for sharing!
Regular grocery ginger beer is not great. Fresh Market has lots of specialty ginger beers with alternatives sweeteners like agave as well as more ginger bite. Feverfew is one right off the top of my head and there’s another I can’t remember the name of that comes in a large wine type bottle that also had spices like cardamom and pepper that’s truly fantastic. They make all the difference in the world. If you’re ginger beer is too sweet, I’ve found using have tonic and have ginger beer cuts the sweetness. And don’t forget to add a touch of fresh squeezed lime from your garnish!
I just saw these for the first time the other day when my friend ordered one and it was really good! Thanks for the skinnier option. I need those copper mugs in my kitchen.
What kind of Ginger Beer do you recommend? A lot of the ones I have seen in stores have too much sugar in them!
You can get easily find diet ginger beer which still tastes pretty good! I use Goslings (which is my favorite!) and one Mule has about 16 grams of sugar in it – not the greatest, but I consider drinking a splurge so I allow it 🙂