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A Cranberry Moscow Mule is the perfect festive drink to serve at every holiday party! Spicy ginger beer, cranberry juice and a twist of orange come together to make this refreshing mocktail!

non-alcoholic cranberry moscow mule in a copper mug, garnished with orange peel, orange wedge, and cinnamon stick

Today I’m sharing another Mocktail recipe with all the best seasonal flavors that you and your guests are going to LOVE!

Cranberries are one of the things I enjoy so much this time of year. I typically stock up and create all sorts of deliciousness with them. Everything from homemade cranberry sauce and cranberry syrup to sparkling cranberry brie bites. They’re wonderful in savory dishes like this braised beef too.

They make beautiful garnishes in drinks, punch and they keep for a good while in the fridge, but you can freeze them too.

cold copper mug filled with non-alcoholic moscow mule, garnished with orange and cranberries

Key Ingredients

A traditional Moscow Mule is made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. We’re adding a fun festive twist with cranberry and orange, and we’re leaving the vodka out since we’re going for non-alcoholic here.

If you’d like a traditional flavor–still without the alcohol– try my Virgin Moscow Mule.

Don’t worry, you won’t sacrifice flavor at all, and if you want to make this a cocktail, just add some in.

Ginger Beer- is NOT alcoholic, even though it’s called beer. It tastes nothing like beer. This is the main ingredient in the recipe and adds a spicy kick to the drink (not like burn your lips off hot sauce type kick, just a punch) Ginger itself also has great health benefits, it’s anti-inflammatory, relieves nausea, fights infection, soothes respiratory symptoms, and improves digestion (I know, way more than you wanted to know there).
Cranberry juice– adds a beautiful color and tart flavor to the drink. Be sure to get 100% juice. Cranberries are also a great antioxidant.
Orange– just a twist to complement the flavor
Cinnamon stick– completely optional, and more of a garnish, but it does add just a hint of warmth as it sits in your cup.
Crushed ice– Any ice will do, but I love crushed ice in this mocktail because it reminds me of snow and it feels very Christmas like.
Copper mugs– They’re beautiful and copper is a conductor, so the cold retention will last longer.
Jigger– this isn’t necessary, but it’s a fun cocktail tool you can use for measuring. They have 2 sides, one is 1 ounce, and the other is 2 ounces.

Overall, this is a drink you can enjoy that actually has some great benefits, even though we typically don’t worry about that this time of year.

Best ginger beer

I haven’t found a ginger beer I don’t like, that being said, these are the top rated brands out there:

Fever Tree
DG genuine Jamaican
Top Note
Barritt’s
Q Drinks
Reeds

My current favorite is Reeds zero sugar, lots of bite and guilt free with stevia.

Instructions

It’ll only take you a minute to mix these up! Start with ice, add your ingredients, garnish, and you’re good to go! Your guest will feel so special because it’s just that fancy, but there’s barely any effort here.

fresh orange wedge being squeezed and twisted over crushed ice in a hammered copper mug

cranberry juice being poured into a copper mug over ice

What’s the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer?

Ginger Beer is brewed and fermented, Ginger Ale is carbonated water flavored with ginger.

A common question I get is if you can substitute ginger ale. The short answer is, “yes”. The longer answer is, you can, and it will be a different flavor.

Ginger beer has a much more potent ginger flavor and it is not quite as carbonated. Either way, I’m sure you’ll love the recipe.

Garnish ideas

I like to garnish my cranberry Moscow Mule with a few fresh cranberries, an orange slice, and a cinnamon stick. Here are some other festive garnishes:

pomegranate arils
fresh mint
fresh rosemary
lime wedge
lime zest
orange zest
crystallized ginger

two copper mugs filled with cranberry moscow mule mocktail, surrounded by snow, cinnamon sticks and rosemary

More Festive Mocktail Recipes

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