If you’ve been following me on Instagram you got a sneak peak at today’s blog post.  If you don’t follow me, you should!  For our recent housewarming party, I whipped up three varieties of Moscow Mules and created a Moscow Mule bar.  Keep reading for all the details, drink recipes, and tips.

A Moscow Mule is a deliciously refreshing cocktail with only a few ingredients.  The classic Moscow Mule is just lime juice, vodka, and topped off with ginger beer.  Three ingredients for one awesome cocktail.

However, there are so many variations to this type of cocktail that still have the essence of a Moscow Mule.  I wanted to make a variety of them with different flavors and types of alcohol to appeal to all of our guests at our housewarming party.   I scoured Pinterest (you should follow me there, too!) to find three that I thought would work.  They are all a little different, but they are all delicious.

The first cocktail for our Moscow Mule bar was a Ginger Peach Vodka Moscow Mule.  I liked the idea of having a vodka mule and the peaches I’ve gotten this summer have been absolutely amazing.  With such great peaches, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to include them in a cocktail.

Ginger Peach Moscow Mule Recipe

3 large ripe peaches
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
6 ounces Smirnoff Vodka
Ice for serving
2 cups ginger beer soda (be sure to look for ginger beer, not ginger ale)
Lime, lemon, or peach wedges, for garnish

Step 1. Make the puree: Cut the peaches in half and remove pit (do not peel). Slice the peaches, reserving four slices for garnish. Combine the rest of the peach slices in a blender with the peeled ginger root, lemon juice, and water. Puree until very smooth then strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding any solids and keeping only the smooth puree.

Step 2. To make the cocktail, combine 1 cup of the puree with the vodka in a large shaker filled with ice and shake until frosty. Divide the peach and Smirnoff vodka mixture evenly into four Moscow Mule mugs or cocktail glasses filled with ice.

Step 3. Pour 1/2 cup ginger beer into each mug. Garnish with a lime or lemon wedge and a fresh peach slice.

I was in a bit of a hurry when making this batch of cocktails so I didn’t strain the puree and boy were those cocktails thick.  So, if I were to make it again, I’d definitely be sure to do that part.  Or, you could also muddle the peaches, ginger, lemon juice, and water in the bottom of a shaker and strain that way.

The second type of Moscow Mule was my favorite, a Cucumber Mint Gin Mule.  It’s so refreshing and light.

Cucumber Mint Gin Moscow Mule Recipe

2 oz. Gin

4 Mint Leaves

1 Lime

2 Quarter Inch Slices of Cucumber, peeled

4-6 oz. Ginger Beer

Step 1. Muddle the lime juice and cucumber in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.

Step 2.  Add gin, mint leaves, and ice to the shaker.  Shake for about 20 seconds.

Step 3. Pour over ice and top with ginger beer.

For our housewarming party I made a pitcher sized batch of all the drinks.  For this version I placed the lime juice and cucumbers in a blender then added the gin and mint to the pitcher.  It was a good way to make a larger amount, but just like the first cocktail it was a little thick.  I’d recommend straining the cucumber/lime puree before using it in the cocktail to take out any large pieces.

The last Moscow Mule cocktail was made using tequila.  It’s a Moscow Margarita!  These were very strong thanks to my poor job at math trying to turn the recipe into a pitcher sized amount.

Margarita Moscow Mule Recipe

1 OZ Lime Juice {fresh squeezed if possible}

3 OZ Ginger Beer

1 1/2 OZ Tequila  I used Don Julio Blanco, but any 100% agave tequila will do.

1/2 OZ Cointreau or another orange liqueur

1/2 OZ Simple Syrup

Course Salt

Step 1. Start with making the simple syrup by placing equal parts of water and sugar in a small saucepan. I used 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 sugar. Warm over medium heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Step 2. Use fresh squeezed lime juice if possible or bottled if you are short on time.

Step 3. Stir (do not shake) all the ingredients together. Serve over ice and garnish with a lime.

This recipe is so easy, especially if you already have some simple syrup on hand.  It’s really just mixing a few things together.  I didn’t get many pictures of the margarita ingredients because I used them all for our party last weekend, but they aren’t too difficult to imagine.

Here are all of the lovely cocktails together!

Margarita Mule | Ginger Peach Moscow Mule | Cucumber Mint Gin Mule

To create my Moscow Mule Bar for our housewarming party, I made pitcher sized batches of all the cocktails, placed them on a tray, with a sign and their garnishes.  I thought it was a pretty display.  Unfortunately, we don’t have copper mugs which are traditionally used to serve these cocktails.  However, the traditional anniversary gift for year seven is copper, so I think we may be getting some for our wedding anniversary soon!

My biggest tip when setting up a Moscow Mule bar like this is to be sure your guests know that they have to add ginger beer to their cocktails.  Most of my guests initially thought the mixture in the pitcher was the entire cocktail and got quite a shock when they realized it was pretty much all alcohol.  So, I’d recommend either mixing the cocktail up for your guests if that’s a possibility, having ginger beer prestaged in classes for them to add the mixes to, or making a much larger sign instructing them to add ginger beer to their drinks.

Well there you have it!  All of the recipes and tips on creating your own Moscow Mule Bar.  Who wants to go whip up a cocktail now?