This festive yuletide Cranberry Orange Mule comes together with healthier cranberry orange syrup, ginger beer and of course vodka!
OK, I’ve got to admit it. Twist my arm and I’ll tell you – I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN this Holiday/Christmas season creating recipes for you all. And I’m shocked that that is actually a true statement. When I was planning for my first Christmas as a blogger, I hit full panic mode.
I started making my gift list in October, recipes were planned, emails were schemed up and I was turning my world upside down trying to figure out how I was going to create thoughtful & useful content for you, work full time, give my attention to my family, sell pies & pastries, attend every gathering and still have time to hug my sweet JMan.
You know what I did? I cut the crap & got real with myself for the first time in a long time. I stopped obsessing over my gift list, made decisions, and ordered everything online early. In reality, the reason behind the season has nothing to do with gifts, anyway. So why obsess? Wanna know what else? I decided to pass up on a few extra bucks and put aside the idea to sell my pies and pastries. Crazy right? Who turns down easy money during the holidays? You’re looking at her (well, you’re looking at a picture of me above, haha).
As much as we all sayyy that we’ll take time to rejoice in our families and the gifts the Lord has given us, the reality is, we tend to get caught up in the fuss. I certainly do.
Not everyone likes to unwind with a drink now and then, but I do. Moscow Mules are one of my all time favorite cocktails, and I wanted to do a festive & simple twist. The cran-orange syrup is made with minimal sweetener – I used maple syrup. Hey gift idea- whip up a few batches of syrup & pair it with some ginger beer & vodka in a basket! Voila!
Let’s put a little jingle in your next family mingle. Looking for more cozy cocktail? Check out my Apple Cider Bourbon Smash!
If you love Christmas as much as I do, do yourself a favor, sister, and download my FREE Healthy Cookie Cookbook. You’re going to love it!
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Cranberry Orange Yule Mule
These festive yuletide Cranberry Orange Yule Mules come together with healthier cranberry orange syrup, ginger beer and of course vodka!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 - 12oz. cocktail 1x
Ingredients
For The Cran-Orange Syrup:
- 12 oz. water
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries (I’m sure frozen would work, too)
- 2 Tbsp. of fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp. of maple syrup
For the Mule:
- 2 shots (3 oz.) of Cran-Orange Syrup
- 1 shot (1.5-2oz.) vodka
- 8 0z. ginger beer
- 1 orange slice
- 1 small handful of fresh cranberries
- ice
- optional – rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Start by adding the cranberries, water, orange juice & maple syrup into a saucepan on high.
- Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let this reduce for about 15 mins.
- Strain this into a mason jar or container.
- Once done, place in the fridge or freezer for a bit until it is cool.
- Place an orange slice and a handful of fresh cranberries into the bottom of a copper mug or glass. Muddle these by pressing down on the fruit so it bursts and releases extra flavor.
- Fill mug with ice, add the syrup and vodka. Mix well.
- Top the glass with ginger beer.
- Stir again, and top with more fresh cranberries, orange, and rosemary, if desired. Cheers!
yum. yum. yum. yum. yummmmmmmm!!! a good mule is hard to beat & i LOVE your wintery update (especially maple syrup – maple syrup in cocktails is my jam!). cheers!
Right?? It just makes sense!
So obsessed with how easy this is! Also, I’m usually the same when it comes to blogging. I get so many great ideas than work/worry myself into a mental breakdown and stop blogging for like a week. This year I just decided to make what I wanted to make without worrying so much about what I should make or having the great grand plan and it’s actually been working out really well for me so far 😀
It is FOR SURE working for you. I totally know what you mean. I always have one day a week where I’m like NO INSTAGRAM just not today haha. And then, by Monday, I’m back haha.
These are SO pretty and they sound super delish!! Love it!
Thank you, Katie!
These look AMAZING (and congrats again on the Buzzfeed feature!). Your photos are just drop dead gorgeous, I can’t stop obsessing over them.
I love that you took the stress out of the equation this holiday season and figured out works for you. So inspiring!
You’re so sweet! and back at ya! We can always count on you for the real-girl advice!
There is SO MUCH truth in this post. Thank you for being so honest and open! And that devotional was what I asked for for Christmas {here’s hoping it’s in my stocking} 😉 xoxo Merry Christmas lady, so happy this blogging world brought us together!!
You will LOVE it! Lmk if you get it – it is really awesome.
It is okay to step back! I think people fall into 2 camps this time of year…crazy high energy chaos, or wanted and needing some rest and love! This lovely winter cocktail is a great place to start!
Exactly! I think I fall somewhere in the middle, but it is important to recognize this!
I knew I wanted to be friends when we started chatting months ago & after reading this, can we please be friends?!? You’re such an awesome person & everything in this post spoke to me. I’ve been stressing big time & I’m learning to only commit to meaningful things & practice gratitude & time for myself. Keep doing amazing things!
P.S. I loveee moscow mules
P.P.S. Congrats about Buzzfeed 🙂
YES WE CAN BE FRIENDS! Let’s for real plan a coffee date in 2017, maybe I’ll be heading north soon! And I’m like getting chills, I’m so glad it spoke to you! I think I actually need to re-read my own post today – haha! And back at ya babe, YOU’RE AWESOME! Merry Christmas!
I love Moscow mules! Definitely trying this! Although I’ll probably take the easy way out and just squeeze some orange juice in there with 🙂 Thanks for the idea!
There’s OJ in the cocktail syrup, too! 🙂
This sounds wonderful We have a big Christmas party each year and we’re going to have this as one of our featured cocktails. How long will the orange-cranberry syrup last once made? And does it need to be refrigerated?