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an orange moscow mule in a copper mug garnished with clementine segments
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4.77 from 13 votes

Orange Moscow Mule

Orange makes a beautiful, wintery addition to the classic Moscow mule. It's a lovely variation on this light, breezy cocktail for the holidays.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Cocktails
Cuisine: American
Keyword: orange moscow mule
Calories: 165kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces (60 ml) vodka
  • 4 ounces (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange or clementine juice
  • ½ ounce (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 3 ounces (90 ml) ginger beer
  • Clementine segment or orange wheel to garnish

Instructions

  • Fill a copper mug to the top with crushed ice.
  • Pour in the vodka, orange juice, and lime juice.
  • Top with ginger beer and give it a good stir.
  • Garnish with a thin orange wheel or a clementine segment.

Notes

  1. You'll start with a good vodka. I'm using Grey Goose, which has a lovely, toasty vibe and creamy finish and is from France. Belvedere is another great choice. I'm not really on the Tito's bandwagon, but if you are, that would be a fine option, too.
  2. Freshly squeezed orange juice fits so well into this recipe that you could be excused for assuming it's part of the original. Navel oranges make lots of juice, so I'll often reach for them — but you can use whatever you've got. Sometimes I like to make this recipe with clementines when we've got them on hand.
  3. Ginger beer is a nonalcoholic, ginger-flavored soft drink. It provides fizz, lightness, and tons of flavor to a Moscow mule. Choose a good one, because you'll really taste it. I like Reed's or Goslings.
  4. A generous dose of freshly squeezed lime juice adds a welcome bright, tart dimension to this recipe.
  5. If you like, you can batch this drink for a party. To make eight drinks: up to three hours in advance, stir together in a pitcher two cups vodka, four cups freshly squeezed orange or clementine juice, and ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, pour in three cups cold ginger beer and give it all a stir. To serve, fill eight copper mule cups with crushed ice, divide contents of pitcher, and garnish each with an orange wheel or clementine segment.

How to crush ice

If you'd like to crush your own ice rather than buying it, you've got a couple of options. I've come to really prefer the blender method.
  • If you don't have a good blender, you can place regular ice cubes into a double layer of zip-top bags and bash them with a rolling pin until they're nice and small. This method provides free therapy but doesn't work quite as well for creating evenly crushed ice.
  • If you have a high-speed blender or a good, strong regular blender, you can place plenty of ice cubes into the container, pour in cold water to reach about halfway up, and blend briefly until most of the cubes are nicely crushed. Drain the mixture through a sieve to remove excess water, and your crushed ice is ready to use.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal